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Jim's Story
In the winter of 2002, 36-year-old
Jim was homeless and alone, having left
a troubled relationship and two sons the
year before. That's when Jim found Bridgewell's
Pathfinder Safe Haven, and his situation
started to change. At first, he came to
the Lowell center to watch TV, do his laundry,
eat lunch and socialize with others in similar
circumstances.
In January 2003, Jim became
a resident of Pathfinder. With a safe and
secure place to live, Jim felt as if he
had options. With the help of staff, Jim
applied for various state entitlements and
started to work at Common Ground Café,
one of Pathfinder's supported work programs.
With a regular job in a controlled
setting, Jim began paying child support
and reestablished a relationship with his
sons. He was steadily gaining confidence
and the skills to live and work on his own.
He completed the Merrimack
Valley Housing Partnership's First Time
Home Buyer's course, and in May 2005, bought
a house trailer in Tyngsboro. He says he
is now ready to look for full-time work
outside of Pathfinder.
Since the program's inception
in 1995, Pathfinder has worked with over
1000 individuals helping them to gain greater
control over their lives and become productive
members of the community.
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Pathfinder Safe-Haven
Located in Lowell, Pathfinder is a nationally
recognized program that serves
the homeless, those with a psychiatric disability and dual-diagnosed
homeless adults. Pathfinder is in 10th year of operation providing
both housing and outreach support services. The program targets
individuals who have been unable to access services and treatment
needed to begin the process of reentering mainstream society.
Pathfinder recently received a "Best Practices"
award from the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD), one of only three given nationwide.
Its outreach program was recently awarded a three-year
grant from the Social Security Administration (SSA) for its
innovative work assisting the homeless and individuals with
psychiatric disability in enrolling for Social Security benefits.
Pathfinder Residential
Pathfinder has 12 congregate housing units. Residents are
provided with a complete assessment of needs, offered assistance
in selecting medical providers, administering medication,
pursuing entitlement benefits and transitional employment
opportunities. To date, only men have been offered rooms.
The program averages four graduates a year.
Pathfinder Drop-in Center
Open from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. every day of the year, the drop-in
center offers a safe and secure environment to have a meal,
take a shower, wash laundry or just relax off the streets.
The program is open to all homeless individuals, male and
female. Its goal is to engage individuals, at their own pace,
in examining potential treatment options, reclaiming control
of their lives and eventually returning to being productive
members of their community.
Program service includes: transportation to doctors, landlords
and jobs; referral services; assistance with entitlement applications;
GED classes; health-care providers on staff.
For more information on Pathfinder call 978.459.3387,
or e-mail pathfinder@bridgewell.org.
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