When building an airplane as big as a Boeing 747, with its tens of thousands of parts, a single missing letter on a 15-digit parts number is critical.

That’s why Matthew Good, 29, and fellow co-workers at Bridgeways’ production facility near Paine Field sit around a long table in a windowless room correcting flawed labels.

They cut open sealed plastic bags, take out a yellow electrical connector and a label it with the correct part number.

They press a thin, pencil-like rubber stamp with an H on its bottom into a black ink pad and then carefully line up the letter so it will print the final, missing letter on the parts label, allowing it to be correctly identified.

Good has been working at his job for about five weeks, his first job in three years.

It’s a big step for Good, who has lived with severe depression since his late teens.

He first came to Bridgeways, the Everett-based nonprofit that provides assistance to people living with severe mental illness, in late 2003.

“Honestly, I wasn’t doing that well,” Good said. “I was sleeping till late afternoon and staying up at night.”

His problems were aggravated by not regularly taking his medications for depression. “I was very hesitant to be dependent on anything,” he explained.

His parents helped link him with Bridgeways. For about a year, he lived at Madison House, a three-story building off Evergreen Way that provides housing and services to Bridgeways’ clients.

Eventually, he was able to participate in both the group activities and the education courses the organization provides.

His next step toward independence was getting his own apartment. Then, taking a job.

With his bold, black framed glasses, two silver earrings, mutton-chop sideburns and black vest and pants, he looks very much like the college art student he once was and the graphic illustrator he aspires to be.

One of his pen-and-ink drawings hangs in a recreation room at Madison House. Other examples of his artwork are posted on the organization’s Web site.

Someday, he hopes that his work can be included in an art show. And he would like to produce art and graphics for CD covers.

Good recently completed an eight-week silversmithing class offered through the Arts Council of Snohomish County. “In fact, let me show you,” he said, reaching into a pocket and pulling a handmade silver ring with a tiger’s-eye stone that he made in the class.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t had the amount of support I’ve had,” he said.

“Bridgeways for me has been a support system, in terms of medication, counseling and a lot of general living assistance,” he said.

“All in all, it’s a more stable place I’ve gotten to.”

‘I won’t let you fail’

The parts-relabeling work is one example of the jobs done by the 30 employees at Bridgeways’ production facility on 75th Street SW in Everett. Seventeen of the workers are Bridgeway clients.

They also work on airplane fasteners and drill rivets on metal brackets for electronic components.

Bridgeways does its own checks on each part before it leaves the building. In addition, a Boeing inspector is on-site to help coordinate parts being delivered to and shipped out of the building.

Boeing has been doing work with Bridgeways since the Bridgeways production facility opened in 1981, said Ann Schmidt, a spokeswoman for The Boeing Co.

“There’s a reason we continue to do business with Bridgeways,” she said. “The quality, effort and dedication of their employees is exceptional. They’re definitely a valued supplier.”

Other companies contract with Bridgeways’ production facility, too.

A Seattle pharmaceutical company has workers label, scan, weigh and package medications.

Some of the work involves using a scale so sensitive that it has a shield to help protect it from the vibrations of traffic passing outside the building’s front door.

At first, some Bridgeways clients have a fear of failure, of not meeting workplace expectations, said Terry Castle, production manager.

“I’ll say, ‘No you won’t; I won’t let you fail,’” he said. “We’ll work with you as hard as possible.”

When she first arrived for her job, Lena Carder, 33, was so shy that she didn’t talk and barely made eye contact with people, Castle said. Now, she chats quietly with co-workers as she works.

“I met some nice people there,” Carder said.

“She’s done extremely well,” Castle said.

Carder proudly tells of buying a coat and an artificial Christmas tree with her recent paycheck, her first.

She lives in an apartment with a roommate and goes to Bridgeways once a week to check in with staff and get her medications.

Toward independence

Bridgeways exists to assist those with the most severe mental illnesses, helping about 100 people a year.

“It won’t be someone with a small bout of depression,” said Inga Paige, a Bridgeways spokeswoman.

Most clients have more than one mental health problem, Paige said. Their diagnoses include severe depression and bipolar disorder.

Many are homeless. Some have recently left Western State Hospital, the state-run psychiatric hospital in Pierce County for adults.

Bridgeways’ van logs 59,000 miles each year to reach clients who can’t get to Everett, making sure they get the medications they need.

Some show up with little more than the clothes they’re wearing.

That’s why the organization’s wish list is so extensive. It includes simple household items such as can openers, sheets, blankets and towels. Toiletries, clothing and food also are needed.

Boeing’s Employee Community Fund and the Tulalip Tribes are some of the groups that make donations to the organization.

Heather Tegerdine, 29, who finished high school and attended college, is one of Bridgeways’ current clients.

Tegerdine said she’s been in mental health programs most of her life, starting at age 11. In school, she had difficulty concentrating and problems understanding what she read.

She has been diagnosed as bipolar and having schizo-affective disorder, which includes manic depression. She said she’s worked off and on but had trouble keeping a job because of her mental illness.

After a suicide attempt last year, Tegerdine said she spent about six months at Western State Hospital.

She first came to Bridgeways in October. Tegerdine said she was worried, not knowing if she could trust the people there to get the help she needed.

“They’ve helped me with everything,” she said.

The organization gave her a place to live and helped her buy groceries, she said.

“Now I’m able to concentrate,” she said. “I use relaxation skills. I can sit down and listen to music.”

Asked what goals she had set for herself, she said they are “simple baby steps, small things.”

On Monday, she moved out of Bridgeways’ housing into her own apartment. Staff will check in with her twice daily to make sure she takes her medications.

They also provide support, from advice on budgeting to helping make doctors’ appointments.

She will come to Bridgeways’ offices to meet with case managers and participate in classes.

“I’m still worried,” Tegerdine said. “But it’s a step toward being back to being independent again. And hoping it will last.

“I don’t have to worry about where I get my next meal, what I’m going to be doing,” she said.

“I feel like it’s more peace of mind.”