Who We Are
For over 150 years, Bridges Homeward has helped people build the life skills, self-confidence, and stable family connections they need to thrive. We started in 1874 as a small orphanage caring for just 10 homeless youth, and today we support nearly 1,200 individuals and families across Massachusetts every year.
We believe that when individuals have the skills and resources that they need to be successful, and when they have a family in which to thrive, communities grow stronger.
That commitment to safe, secure, parenting relationships can be summed up in one word: Permanency.
Up to 46% percent of youth that age out of foster care experience homelessness by age 26
Our Name
In 2022, after nearly half a century as Cambridge Family & Children's Service, we changed our name to Bridges Homeward as a true reflection of the work we do. We are dedicated to building bridges to stronger futures through high quality support and advocacy. Whether we are working toward family reunification or guiding individuals toward other paths of permanency, we nurture safe, permanent relationships so that children, adults, and families can maximize their individual growth and finally find their way home.
Our Mission
To provide high-quality support and advocacy for children, adults, and families to develop and nurture safe, permanent relationships and maximize individual growth.
Most of our work is by contract with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Developmental Services (DDS)
Our Family of Services:
Prevention
We help families build the stability and resources they need to stay strong together, through home visiting for new parents and in-home support during difficult times.
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Together, anything is possible.
Explore FSS -
A program of the Children’s Trust, is a statewide home visiting program available for first-time parents.
Placement
We recruit, train, and support foster and pre-adoptive parents who open their homes to children in need of a safe, nurturing environment, guiding families through every step of the journey. Through ongoing support and resources, we help individuals and young adults build the skills, confidence, and stability needed to achieve independence.
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A safe, healthy, and loving home. It never grows old.
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Foster families are ordinary families who choose to do something extraordinary.
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Parents need permanency, too.
Explore FS -
We provide apartments to youths in DCF’s care to help them better learn to care for themselves.
Support
We provide ongoing support that helps individuals with developmental disabilities build meaningful connections, strengthen their independence, and fully participate in their communities, while empowering families to access the services and resources they need.
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Removing social barriers. Creating a community. That’s family.
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Give Today
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Become a Bridge
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Give Today ⁎ Become a Bridge ⁎
You are one step away from becoming a bridge toward stronger futures for children, individuals, and families.
At Bridges Homeward, we walk alongside children in foster care, young adults, young parents, individuals with developmental disabilities, and families navigating adoption and reunification. We believe every child deserves a permanent family and a place to call home.
Our Supporters
What’s new at Bridges Homeward
Read the story of brothers Nathaniel and Ezequiel, who spent time in separate foster homes before finding their way back to each other, and to a family, on May 6. Amanda and Justin adopted them both, helped them relearn how to be brothers, and made sure their bond with their other brother stayed strong too.