History
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A Movement and Change in Thinking: Frustrated over poor living conditions, and lack of services, parents began to demand better opportunities for their loved ones.
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In 1958, Bridgewell began as the Child Guidance Center in Lynn. The original headquarters was a storefront on the corner of Broad and Chestnut Street in Lynn, Massachusetts.
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Inclusion and Community Living: Society changed and began to accept the notion that individuals with disability can be self-determined, live within their community (rather than in an institution) and with the correct level of support, can thrive.
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In 1970, as de-institutionalization began, Bridgewell opened its first residential program serving adults with developmental disabilities on Laurel Street in Lynn. Bridgewell now operates 70 residential programs supporting 326 people.
Project COPE (now Bridgewell’s Recovery Services) was founded and began providing community-based prevention, education and treatment for people with drug and alcohol disorders.
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Speaking Up for Themselves: In the 1980s, there was a movement for self-advocacy and equal civil rights pushed forward by people with disabilities.
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In 1989, Bridgewell’s START Clinical Services and Respite began to provide assessment, medication management and behavioral health services to adults with a dual diagnosis of developmental and psychiatric disability. START stands for Systemic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Respite and Treatment. It would be renamed The Sovner Center after founding doctor, Robert Sovner, in 1997.
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The Americans with Disabilities Act is Signed Into Law: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is signed into law and is considered the most important civil rights law, which prohibits discrimination based on disability.
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In 1993, Bridgewell receives its first United States Department of Housing and Urban Development funding to begin serving homeless individuals in Lynn and Lowell.
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In 1998, Bridgewell earned its first accreditation from CARF, an international organization that aims to push service providers to offer the highest quality service. Twenty years later, the majority of Bridgewell’s services are CARF Accredited at the highest standard.
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In 1999, the federal “Rolland Lawsuit” was settled, resulting in people with disabilities permanently moving out of long-time nursing facilities to residential providers like Bridgewell.
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In 2005, the organization rebranded to Bridgewell, after a few previous names.
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In 2012, Bridgewell opened its first of now three Rosewood Day Habilitation programs, specialized day programs to meet the unique needs of younger adults with autism who are transitioning from the educational system to adult services.
Bridgewell Counseling Services expanded to include a Lowell location, which also serves children with behavioral health challenges.
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Since 2014, Bridgewell has held four conferences on aging with intellectual disability and transition planning for young adults with autism. Over 2,000 people attended in total.
In 2014, Project COPE merged with Bridgewell.
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Opened in 2016, Bridgewell’s Autism Family Support Center provides services to families from diverse cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds including those who are supporting a person with autism.
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Bridgewell established the Recuperative Care Center, a medical respite program providing short term residential care to homeless patients too sick to recuperate on the streets or in a shelter, but not ill enough to be in the hospital. The RCC is now run by Lynn Community Health Center and partner organizations.
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Bridgewell continued to serve our community throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Some programming moved online, such as behavioral health therapies and counseling, while other services like Bridgewell’s residential programs remained active in person with necessary procedures and protections.
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In 2021, Bridgewell collaborated with Incompass Human Services as founding affiliates of a new parent company – the New England Human Services Collaborative (NEHSCO) – building the foundation for a larger provider-driven human services network in Massachusetts.
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Bridgewell opened a new behavioral health clinic in Amesbury. Bridgewell Counseling Services (BCS), Amesbury expanded our behavioral health services in the Merrimack Valley.
Bridgewell opened Lotus House, a new family supportive housing program for 10 families in Lynn – the first of its kind in the area. The program provides a safe space for women transitioning from other short-term recovery programs and focuses on providing opportunities for them to reconnect and bond with their children as they work toward long-term sobriety.