Guardianship History
First Guardianship in 1989
Bridge Disability Ministries became the court appointed guardian for an elderly woman for whom there was no representative to administer a guardianship. During the following two years the Board of Directors of Bridge Disability Ministries discussed the great need for guardianships for people with developmental disabilities.
Guardianship Program began officially in 1992
In 1992 the need for guardianships for people with developmental disabilities was addressed with the Guardianship Program. The referrals for guardianships came from managers responsible for finding a guardian for people in Fircrest School, case managers at Division of Developmental Disabilities, managers at group homes, and family members.
Bridge Disability Ministries desires to provide quality guardianships with meaningful relationships for the people served. As of 2009, Bridge has two full time certified guardianship specialists who administer 40 legal guardianships. Bridge Disability Ministries, to the best of our knowledge, is the only non-profit Certified Professional Guardianship Agency in the State of Washington with a high ratio of clients who are unable to pay for the cost of guardianship services.