As on a regular basis life takes a relaxation this Thanksgiving, Bridge Over Troubled Waters desires homeless kids to know they don’t seem to be alone and it’s there for them to have fun the vacation.
Roughly 200 younger individuals, ranging in age from 14 to 24, feasted on turkey, fried hen and fixings whereas taking part in video games and having fun with fellowship at Bridge’s headquarters in Downtown Crossing on Wednesday.
“Everyone is going home, college kids are coming back home and trying to rest, and families are getting together. Our young people don’t have those experiences, they don’t have a home to go to,” mentioned Elizabeth Jackson, president and CEO of the nonprofit which gives a full continuum of providers to homeless, runaway and at-risk youth.
“This is an opportunity to celebrate and be with them, to provide a foundation for them,” Jackson advised the Herald. “This distracts them (from) that it is cold outside and where they will sleep tonight. It shows that we care and want to celebrate with them.”
Bridge serves greater than 2,000 kids yearly, with roughly 70 to 80% dealing with trauma, whether or not it’s from being threatened, witnessing home violence or experiencing baby abuse.
Behavioral well being therapists are on 24/7 in the course of the vacation season which Jackson mentioned is essentially the most difficult time of the yr for the younger individuals they serve, understanding that they don’t have what it looks like everybody else has: pleasure, household, a heat place to flee the chilly.
To assist meet the wants of its youth, Bridge teamed up with Liberty Mutual Insurance coverage in June to open up a nine-bedroom, co-op-style residence in Brighton.
The Brunson Liberty Home, bought with a $1.3 million reward from Liberty Mutual, serves as a “next step” for homeless younger adults who’ve graduated from the Bridge’s transitional dwelling program.
That initiative provides employment and persevering with training alternatives for individuals who meet weekly with a Bridge counselor and work with case managers on reaching their targets.
The migrant disaster, which has put the state’s emergency shelter system at capability for months, has put a highlight on Massachusetts’ “broken homeless system,” Jackson mentioned. It had already a been problem to search out housing and employment for younger individuals earlier than the inflow, she mentioned.
“We provide a university of life skills for our young people,” Jackson mentioned. “It’s not about keeping and enabling young people to stay homeless. It’s about teaching and guiding them, mastering the skills to move forward, and to be independent, successful young adults.
“They’re still young,” she added. “I don’t want to create another homeless system for young adults. That makes no sense whatsoever.”
For individuals who wish to assist youth have fun a particular vacation, go to www.bridgeotw.org/vacation. There, you may discover ways to purchase presents off want lists, donate reward playing cards or give to the nonprofit’s vacation drive.
Matt Stone/Boston Herald
Anocia and Giavanna excessive 5 after successful a trivia recreation throughout a Thanksgiving meal at Bridge Over Troubled Waters. (Picture By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
