Christopher Tuttle and Elaine White
In 1958, when parents and community members formed an organization called the Child Guidance Center to support youth in the Lynn Public Schools, their goal was to establish a new and different program that would allow people with disabilities to achieve their fullest potential.
At the time, it was common practice to place someone with a disability in an institution that would meet only their basic needs – away from society – for their natural lifetime. These Lynn parents and advocates wanted more for people with disabilities, knowing that if provided with opportunities and support, they could live fulfilling lives in the community.
Sixty-five years and several name changes later, that group of advocates has grown into an organization with 1,600 employees and more than 100 programs serving 25 communities in northeastern Massachusetts. The mission for Bridgewell, however, essentially remains the same: to inspire hope and empower people experiencing life challenges to achieve their fullest potential.
Our work has also influenced the evolution of how the Massachusetts human-services profession as a whole understands and treats intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental-health challenges, and substance-use disorders; as well as how we as a society view and support the people affected by them.
At the heart of this change – inspiring and, yes, demanding growth and innovation – are the individuals we have the privilege of serving. They show us every day what is possible. As different needs have emerged, it was never a question of could they be met but how they would be met.
Housing instability and homelessness, for example, have been a constant issue for decades. For more than 30 years, our affordable-housing program, which now manages more than 200 units – including 150 in Lynn – has provided access for very low-income individuals with disabilities to a safe, suitable home, but we continue to seek solutions to meet the demand.
Throughout our history, in being responsive to the needs of the people seeking or receiving services, we have learned many things. People with disabilities want the opportunity to work and volunteer in their communities. Many mental-health and substance-use challenges can be managed with medication, counseling, peer support, or a combination of these services. Keeping families together helps support long-term recovery. People want to be a part of their community, and they will access services – like outpatient mental health – when they are offered locally.
So, we work every day to ensure those needs are met for the more than 7,000 people we serve each year through employment services, day programs, group residential living programs, outpatient behavioral-health clinics, and transportation services.
This mission requires innovation and responsiveness. Our recovery programs, for example, have grown exponentially since the 1970s, including a merger with Project COPE in 2014 and our newest program, Lotus House, a residential program for mothers in early recovery and their children, with services that aim to break the generational cycle of addiction.
As the demand for autism programs has risen rapidly during the last two decades, we have opened two autism-specific day programs, in Billerica and Danvers, and have developed 11 residential programs for individuals on the autism spectrum.
We continue to look ahead, to gauge the coming challenges and needs, and build programs to address them, such as developing an intergenerational community for seniors and persons with disabilities.
Vital to our success and longevity are the valued partnerships we have with local businesses, neighbors, supporters, colleagues, and families throughout the many communities in which we work and live. We will continue to nurture these relationships because, for all our progress since 1958, there is still much work to be done.
We are unwavering in our fight to break down the stigma around mental health challenges, addiction and recovery, and disabilities, as everyone should be afforded dignity and the opportunity for a fulfilling life in an inclusive community.
Through our first 65 years, there’s something else we have learned – and it relates to our beginnings in Lynn, where the majority of our programs are located, and why we carry the attitude and the work ethic of the city: Whatever the challenge, we will figure it out and we will get it done.
Christopher Tuttle is the President and CEO of Bridgewell. Elaine White is the chief operating officer and has been working at Bridgewell for 41 of its 65 years.