Bridging the gap
Sometimes in life a person needs help getting from Point A to Point B. That’s where Bridges comes in.
Bridges is a transitional group home in Lawrence for people with mental illness, owned and operated by the Bert Nash Mental Health Center.
“This is for residents who are transitioning from hospitalization or jail or substance abuse treatment and need some additional support for stabilization before they can move into independent living,” said Eddie Velez, lead residential case manager for Bert Nash. “It’s not like a traditional group home; it’s a transitional setting. This is more like treating folks as adults and guiding them into independent living.”
Rachel Neill, Bert Nash’s new team leader for supportive housing and the hospital discharge team, wants Bridges to be more than just a place to live. She wants it to be a place where people can thrive.
“We want the space to be functional and inspirational and therapeutic,” Neill said. “So it’s not just housing. We want to create an environment for people that promotes wellbeing.”
Drawing upon her art background, Neill and her nine-member staff are in the process of giving Bridges a new look, with fresh coats of paint, bright colors and art on the walls.
“Where you live affects how you feel,” Neill said. “We want the clients who stay at Bridges to have a quality experience.”
That experience will now include access to a piano. After a conversation a man had with Neill in October, he donated a piano to Bridges.
“The battery on my cell phone had died, so I went to the cell phone store and the man who helped me mentioned that he had been trying to get rid of a piano. I said, oh, you’re trying to sell a piano? He said, no, I was just trying to give it away. I said would you like to donate it to Bridges, and I told him what Bridges was. And right away he said yes,” Neill said. “It was very emotional for me. I took it as a sign that we’re headed in the right direction.”
Also in October, the Douglas County Community Foundation awarded a grant to Bert Nash for new flooring and furnishing at Bridges.
“We are so grateful for the support and the funding from the Douglas County Community Foundation,” Neill said. “This grant will make a big difference in the overall environment and experience for our residents.”
Bridges can accommodate up to eight people. The common living space is on the main level. Shared bedrooms are upstairs with males on one side of the house and females on the other. Bridges is staffed 24 hours a day with at least one Bert Nash staff person there at all times.
“Generally, folks will stay up to 90 days,” Velez said. “Some folks can stay longer, depending on the circumstances.”
In addition to Bridges, the Bert Nash Center has four longer-term-stay apartments in Lawrence for people who are Bert Nash clients. The Center also has two apartment units in Baldwin City for clients.
The Bert Nash housing staff also works closely with landlords in the community to find housing for residents who are ready to move on to independent living.
“We’ve developed relationships with several landlords in the community,” Velez said. “The landlords are happy that the residents who come from Bridges have additional support from their case managers.”
Anna Witt was a resident at Bridges. She stayed there for three months.
“It was a really good experience for me,” Witt said. “It gave me the structure that I needed to start over. Bridges was that foundation that helped me get my life back on track.”
That’s exactly what Bridges is intended to do. To help a person who is living with mental illness transition to a more independent lifestyle.
“It’s really about improving their functioning and helping them live the best life possible with their mental illness. Everybody has their own recovery journey,” Velez said. “It’s great to see clients a year or two after they’ve lived here and they’ve got a job, they’ve got a place to live, and they’re doing well. That happens a lot, and that’s a testament to the staff.”
