Programs

Ongoing Program Services

MERCY Communities offers programs and services for homeless, or at-risk women with children, over the age of eighteen with one or more children. Our services are designed for individuals who are committed to learning the life skills, job skills, and parenting skills necessary to live a self-sufficient life. To participate, families must be ready to take steps toward life transformations through structured, value-based, goal-directed activities.

The goal of all programming is to assist homeless women and their children to achieve stability in their lives by providing them with a stable home and intensive supportive services.

The programming objectives are to:

Increase the self-sufficiency of the participants
Increase their income
Improve their ability to manage money
Increase their educational level
Increase their job opportunities
Improve the stability of their housing
Improve their daily living skills
Improve their self-esteem
Increase their problem solving skills
Improve their parenting skills
Improve the healthy development of their at-risk young children
Increase the number of positive support systems available to the family

Rapid Re-Housing

Permanent affordable housing and supportive services for homeless families with dependent children in which the head of household or a child in the household has to have a disability. The program enables families with severe and persistent issues, such as mental illness, chronic health problems and substance abuse to achieve long term housing stability.

In 2016/2017, MERCY provided 41 moms, 80 boys, and girls with shelter and supportive services through permanent supportive housing. 94% of permanent supportive families maintain their housing for one year or longer.

A Transitional Living Program to assist homeless young women and their children to achieve stability in their lives by providing them with a stable home and intensive support services for up to two years. There is an after-care component to sustain the family’s stay in permanent housing. 96% of transitional families moved into permanent housing upon completion of the program.

MERCY's Rapid Re-Housing Program is tenant based rental assistance. Incoming clients are placed into the program through an assessment process called Coordinated Entry and must be literally homeless at the time of entry. Families are provided with supportive services with the rental assistance to achieve long term stability in their own home. MERCY currently provides 5 families with Rapid Re-Housing.

Transitional Living Housing

Permanent Supportive Housing

Church and Charitable Partnerships

When a family enters MERCY Communities, they are homeless and generally have few, if any possessions. When they leave MERCY we allow them to keep all of their apartment furnishings, so that they can build upon this foundation. That means every time a family moves out, we need to replace the households furnishings and supplies.

Church partnerships provide outreach ministry whereby a church or other organization can sponsor an apartment by supplying: beds, linens, kitchen items, toiletries, and other items to replenish and prepare for the next family.

We have a wonderful history with this program, including support from St. Joseph Catholic Parish, The Elks, St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Petersburg United Methodist Church, ABC Club, Western Oaks Baptist Church, Third Presbyterian Church, St. Cabrini Church, Chatham United Methodist, Sugar Creek United Methodist, Carlinville United Methodist Church, Newcomers Club of Springfield, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Parkway Christian and Westminster Presbyterian Church.