For fifty years Bridge House has served as a  substance-abuse treatment center of last resort.  Every day we accept and treat those to whom most other institutions deny admission: the homeless and indigent drug and alcohol abusers of our community.  The only requirement for admission is a sincere desire to change, and we accept individuals without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation or ability to pay.

The mission of Bridge House is to facilitate positive change and recovery in the lives of the addicted by treating them with dignity, honor and respect.  Secondly, teaching them to practice the principles of recovery in order to become productive citizens.  Finally, our program offers a therapeutic work environment that teaches our residents discipline, ethics and marketable job skills.

Bridge House treats the whole individual with the ultimate goal of returning him to society in recovery, freed from his addiction, with meaningful employment and a strong support system of family and friends.

Our therapy centers around the Twelve-Step Recovery system of Alcoholics Anonymous and our residents live within a Therapeutic Community model which empowers the individual to participate in decisions concerning life in Bridge House.

Bridge House offers professional counseling on a par with the finest private, for-fee, substance abuse treatment facilities in the nation.

In our community, as in the entire nation, drug and alcohol abuse is a very serious problem, affecting every aspect of our lives.  The percent of males arrested testing positive for any drug has remained at or near seventy percent since 1988, and almost all violent crime is committed while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  Bridge House, alone, cannot eliminate substance abuse or crime, but every individual we help is a step in the right direction.  As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “I would rather light one candle than curse the darkness.”

Putting aside the issues of crime, increased medical expenses, unemployment and the other costs to society of substance abuse, Bridge House’s main reason to exist is reflected in a passage from Isaiah:

            “Sharing your bread with the hungry,

            Sheltering the oppressed and the homeless

            Clothing the naked when you see them

            And not turning your back on your own”

Over seventy percent of those who complete our residential program remain clean and sober after two years from discharge. 

Forty-six percent of Bridge House admissions had been arrested or imprisoned two or more times in the six months prior to admission, but eighty percent of those completing treatment have not been arrested since leaving Bridge House.  Seventy-seven percent of those completing treatment were employed at completion and maintained employment for six months after their discharge.

Using the SATIS system created by the Betty Ford Center, we constantly monitor, collect and analyze our results as we strive to improve our recovery program.  Counselors are trained to collect impartial intake and discharge information.

We host three annual dinners for the homeless (Christmas in July, Thanksgiving and Christmas.)

We provide lunch for the homeless each Tuesday and Thursday. 

Bridge House participates in the City of New Orleans Emergency Shelter Plan and is the only facility in the city which will accept intoxicated individuals on City declared Freeze Nights.