The Bradley Center

"I must've resided at every location the Bradley center owned about 16 years ago... During my stay with this organization, I was housed at one of their numerous locations, a beautiful property that was formerly located on Castlegate Ave in the Dormont area of Pittsburgh. They shut it down after the group I was with from another location was transferred there after a few months and the reason given was financial troubles due to funding. During my stay, I was deemed to be of high intellect and was given the opportunity to attend the local community college to become a paramedic, which I was very grateful for. While I did achieve excellence in my classes, I still needed more schooling to make becoming a paramedic a reality. I also did not have a drivers license to take full advantage of my skills gained up to that point so my certifications became useless. Myself, and a few other kids who were aging out of the system were placed in a new "independent living" house Bradley Center was experimenting with. When that venture failed for them only a few months in, they decided to give me 2 weeks notice to vacate as they were shutting down the house. Up until that time, I was completely institutionalized (not just with Bradley) for the entirety of my adolescent life. I had minimal external connections as the only people I interacted with in society were those I encountered when I went for walks around the main commercial area of Dormont and when I took the T to "The Beehive" in the South Side section of Pittsburgh. Reality, as much as I could grasp at that point in my life due to my limited socialization, set in. I realized I was about to become a homeless teenager. The supervisor for the house gave me $20 and I had to request they buy me a card for a month's worth of travel good for Pittsburgh's public transportation system. Luckily I was able to find a couch to crash on in a house that was rented by a local person I befriended for a few months. I had no phone so finding a job was terribly difficult. I ended up starving. Literally. I was making a jar of peanut butter last me the week and eating out of dumpsters in South Side. I eventually found a restaurant that would throw their daily baked bread away every night, and I would take it out of their dumpster in the alley. I passed out at the T station one evening as I was talking with a random stranger due to lack of nutrition. As I slumped against the wall he walked away... While my experience is most likely much different than much of anyone else's who resided at The Bradley Center, I must say that my actual stay at their facilities seemed like a wonderful dream compared to what I faced on the streets of Pittsburgh. The majority of my stay was rather pleasant. I became stronger through these trails I endured, and more resilient due to my experiences in the system. There are many stories to be told, and lessons learned surrounding my stay with them. Ultimately it is The Bradley Center that cut me loose from the revolving door that is adolescent treatment facilities."

"I was in the school program for about 2 years about 3 years ago, I personally loved it my therapist was amazing. I only had an issue with one staff member him being the reason I left, other then him everyone else was amazing super caring and supportive. I will be hopefully attending this school again next year."

"I was at bradley a little over 5 years ago in the expression unit. It was a very helpful 9 months for me. staff always treated me with respect and helped me find who i was. Emily Braddock and Chris Stout were the two people who helped me the most and really made a huge impact on my life. I went to bradley as an angry and hostile teenager and left with a new perspective on life. Since being discharged, i have found a new meaning to life. Bradley was my saving grace. I am now married and have a beautiful baby boy. If it wasn’t for the staff at bradley, i wouldn’t be here today. If you are ever thinking of sending a loved one here, i would absolutely recommend it. Thank you to all the staff at Bradley who helped me become the woman i am today. i will never forget any of you"

"I stayed here for almost a year, and it was pure torture. The staff were abusive. I was beat up on multiple occasions, and the staff hardly ever got involved. This place is especially not vegan friendly. I had a friend who lived on my ward who was vegan, and they basically starved him. They only would give him a few pieces of fake meat, and since he had a special meal, he couldn't have any of the sides served with the regular meals. Me, as well as others were restrained constantly, even if we weren't a danger to ourselves or others. I was restrained a total of 7 times, all because I was having a panic attack. Not to mention, they really do like to over-medicate people. I was so over-medicated that I was basically a zombie. And my ward was shared with a ward with young children, and one kid (who was around the age of 7 or 8) literally took a pile of pills. He had to swallow them one by one until he had enough to swallow at once. They do not care about your mental health. Staff will neglect you, bully you and make you feel unsafe. No matter how desperate you are to put a loved one where you think they'll be safe, do NOT send them here. And if a caseworker or anyone else suggests a loved one comes here, do everything in your power to fight back, and put them somewhere safer, where they can get the help they need."

"I sent my niece to The Bradley Center for mental health treatment. The food there is amazing (so good I had some every time I would come visit on campus and my niece agrees with this). The staff are very nice (they deserve a pay raise). Also some residents there introduced my niece to kpop and she introduced it to me which helped my niece. I have nothing but positive things to say about this facility. Also I would love to give a shout out to Ms. Luz Stella for bringing my niece well deserved happiness. I would recommend this place to anyone who needs mental health treatment. The long drive was sure worth it."