Bridge Over Troubled Waters (BOTW)

Bridge Over Troubled Waters, often called Bridge or BOTW, helps runaway, homeless and high-risk youth ages 14 to 24 build stable, independent lives. Its services follow a continuum-of-care model: staff meet young people where they are, and as trust grows, youth move into programs for mental health and wellness, education, career development and independent living. The organization serves about 2,000 young people in Boston each year.

Its roots go back to the late 1960s, when teachers from the Sisters of St. Joseph began reaching out to young people gathering on Boston Common and in Cambridge with nowhere else to go. Bridge was formally established in 1970 under Sister Barbara Whelan, Sister Marie Keough and Sister Barbara Scanlon. Working with physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital, the founders launched a volunteer-run mobile medical van to bring emergency and preventive care to the streets.

What to Know

• Young people can get help preparing for the HiSET high school equivalency exam.
• Bridge was part of a national movement to develop programs for high-risk youth.
• Services are offered in what the organization calls a positive and safe environment.
• It is listed by the Downtown Boston Alliance.