NCJ Number
116960
Date Published
1988
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Begun in 1967 by a Catholic priest, Bridge Over Troubled Waters is a multiservice agency for runaways, throwaways and homeless youth in Boston.
Abstract
Among its original services were outreach to street youth, including mobile medical services; host homes for runaways; drug and alcohol dependency counseling; a dental clinic; and an alternative education classroom. Today, the agency employs 30 full-time and 2 part-time staff and coordinates the activities of 158 volunteers. Each year the Bridge serves over 4,000 youth, ranging in age from 11 to 24, including juvenile prostitutes, delinquents, and formerly institutionalized disturbed youth. Additional programs now include runaway services, parenting skills training, employment and job training, and an independent living residence. In 1983, an evaluation of the agency's programs and services found that 25 percent of youth reported parents with severe drug or alcohol problems, 69 percent reported being physically abused, 75 percent had been in a prior institutional placement, 64 percent were high school dropouts, and 91 percent reported using drugs and/or alcohol. These youth also exhibit low self-esteem, depression, and a distrust for authority figures. This is why emphasis has been placed on street work and a balance between warmth and accepting youth on their terms and the expectation that youth in the programs will be accountable and responsible. Photographs.