Homeless youth are met by a mobile van that offers help – and hope – on Boston Common

BOSTON – Boston’s Bridge Over Troubled Waters tackles the challenges homeless youth face by getting them the help they need.

Providing help to homeless youth

A large white van sits near the Park Street Station in Boston Common. It is a shelter on wheels for homeless teens and children who are sleeping or passing through Boston Common.

“We pick places where there are a lot of young people hanging out,” said Peter Ducharn, who drives the Bridge Over Troubled Water mobile medical bus.

The van parks on the Common and Harvard Square every weekday evening, meeting homeless youth where they are and inviting them for a hot drink and a sandwich.

“They can see that other young people are here, so that makes it a little more comfortable,” Ducham said.

Every evening, twenty to thirty young people eat in the van. Half of them also use the van’s clinic. Volunteer doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants treat common illnesses or provide first aid. But what they’re really doing is building rapport and trust with Boston’s homeless youth.

“Often they are very disappointed with the service, so this is an opportunity to have a different experience.

Providing services to homeless youth

From there, people like Ducham encourage homeless teens to take it a step further, encouraging them to visit the Bridge shelter and take advantage of its education and career programs.

“It’s always intimidating and uncomfortable to be an 18/19 year old working in a service environment. There are also 50/60 year olds, so it’s very important to have a place specifically for young people,” says Ducham.

About half of all the people Bridge Over Troubled Waters staff meet in the van end up visiting the shelter. Sometimes all it takes is one meeting; other times it takes a lot, so Ducham and his team don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

“Young people have really fantastic goals, but often have trouble thinking about how to get past the barriers to achieving them,” Ducham said.

Once people make the transition from the van to the shelter, they have access to a wide variety of services. They can work to get their GED or connect with a job. The main goal is of course to find permanent housing.