Dozens of homeless children from across Boston escaped the damp weather and enjoyed a nice, warm Thanksgiving meal, turning a gloomy day into a festive one.
The holiday season is the biggest challenge at Bridge Over Troubled Waters , said Elisabeth Jackson, president and CEO of the nonprofit, which provides a full continuum of services to homeless, runaway and at-risk youth.
As holiday decorations go up, young people are reminded that they “don’t have a safe and warm place, a loving home or families that they are missing during this time,” Jackson told the Herald.
Jackson’s organization strives to create holiday cheer by holding meals such as Wednesday’s lunch featuring turkey and other Thanksgiving staples and other celebrations throughout the joyful season.
Bridge is also counting on the greater community to step up to make its children feel seen and comforted. Jackson is calling on the public to donate gifts, holiday bundles and gift cards “to make their holiday special.”
“This is the time of giving, when everyone is thankful and grateful, so I’m hoping and praying that spirit [will come through],” she said. “I can’t even imagine a time where a young person wouldn’t get something even if it means I have to go buy something with my own personal (money).”
Bridge serves more than 2,000 children annually, with roughly 70 to 80% facing trauma, whether it’s from being threatened, witnessing domestic violence or experiencing child abuse, Jackson said. Behavioral health therapists are on 24/7 during the holiday season, she said.
“We are dealing with a lot of pain that walks through the door, a lot of young people with their heads down during this time when everybody is trying to celebrate,” she said. “We try to really work through that and just let them be kids.”
The number of homeless children across Greater Boston is on the rise. From fiscal year 2022 to 2023, Bridge received a 41% increase in the amount of calls from those looking for services, whether it be housing, counseling or other support.
As lawmakers continue to grapple with the statewide emergency housing crisis due to the migrant influx, it’s become harder for the public to be aware of the growing issue of homeless children who are not immigrants, Jackson said.
“It’s very important that we do not forget the young people in our school systems struggling, sleeping in the car and don’t have a jacket,” she said.
A campaign Bridge is conducting features real statements directly from their youth about ways they try to hide their experiences of homelessness, “opening our eyes to the fact that there are many more youth experiencing homelessness than we first see.”
The campaign can be found on Bridge’s social media platforms and all over Greater Boston, on trains and buses, at transit stations and other locations.
“They don’t want to go to a shelter system that the state is dealing with,” Jackson said. “Most of our youth are sleeping in some sort of place that is not meant for human habitation, such as a subway, an ATM, an abandoned building, the airport or out on the street. They are not looking for shelter.”
The public can visit Bridge’s website to donate gift cards (an especially important item for homeless youth as it allows them the autonomy to purchase their own items) or learn how to purchase gifts off a wish list.
