History

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Mercy Center for Women (MCW) was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in January 1994 to provide transitional housing and support services (up to 1 year) to homeless women with or without children.

MCW was founded by combining the services of two agencies, Hope House, a transitional housing facility for women and children, and Grass Roots Opportunities for Women, an advocacy center. MCW is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

  • Provide transitional housing for homeless women and their children
  • Provide an environment that is conducive to healing, recovery, and growth
  • Provide support and opportunities for women, including our residents and those from the community
  • Network with other agencies and programs to better serve the needs of women
  • Cultivate leadership among women to benefit them

Mercy Center's transitional supportive housing program is located in a former convent built in 1960, that has 16 bedrooms and can accommodate up to 32 residents at any given time.

The facility is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is in a residential area close to shopping and public transportation. The facility includes an education room, living room, laundry facilities, kitchen and dining areas and a large, fenced-in back yard. MCW residents have a private bedroom that they share with their children.

Residents take an active part in the maintenance and day-to-day operation of the house and are expected to complete daily chores and care for their bedroom and their family’s laundry. Residents prepare evening meals on a rotating basis. Attendance at house meetings, where staff and residents exchange ideas about house activities, is mandatory.

Permanent housing program added to Mercy Center campus

In 2017, the leaders of the Mercy Center for Women began imagining, what would it take to completely renovate a vacant former school building into affordable, beautiful apartments that would also become the anchor of the surrounding community? What if our Mercy Center women and children, after residing in our transitional housing program for one year, could live in those apartments, on their own, but still have access to services?

Fast forward to 2023. The Mercy Anchor Community Center is now the answer to that question and a reality for as many as 32 residents including men. With 13 two-bedroom apartments in the former Holy Rosary School which the Mercy Center purchased in 2020, tenants can reside there for up to two years at a subsidized rate, permanently at market rate. They’ll also have access to many amenities they’ll need all under one roof in a safe, affordable space.

Between the transitional and permanent housing programs, the Mercy Center can house 64 men, women and children at a time and also assists many more individuals who experience homelessness throughout the year.

For more information about MACC, please click here.