MERCY HOUSE LIVING CENTERS (JOSEPH HOUSE 2015)

Home Browse Search

Executive Summary Mercy House Living Centers is a 501(c)(3) non - profit organization operating in Orange County. Mercy House was founded in 1988 by Father Jerome T. Karcher with a vision to serve the homeless in our community. In the belief that every person is born with an inherent human dignity, and that homelessness is an affront to that dignity, our mission "to be a leader in ending homelessness by providing a unique system of dignified housing opportunities, programs and supportive services" drives all that we do. Mercy House was quickly grown from a single shelter serving 10 single men, to a full system of care designed to meet the needs of the homeless at all stages of their struggle, In the past year, Mercy House provided services to over 6,400 of our community's most vulnerable men, women, and children. Though our services have expanded and changed, our mission and reason for existence remains the same: to end the homelessness of all who enter our system of care. Organization Summary Mercy House Living Centers ( "Mercy House ") is a non - profit organization serving the homeless throughout Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and Phoenix, Arizona. The non- profit was incorporated in 1988 and began operations of our first transitional shelter program in 1990. We have continued to successfully provide homeless service programs for over 25 years. In this time, we have created a complete system of care based on a blend of continuum of care and housing first models of ending homelessness. Our programs include homelessness prevention, emergency services and shelters, transitional housing, aftercare programs, rapid re- housing programs as well as permanent housing facilities. Because of the wide variety of services we provide, Mercy House staff have worked closely with many homeless subpopulations including, but not limited to: homeless families, adult men and women, veterans, women with children, chronically homeless individuals, persons living with HIV /AIDS, individuals overcoming substance abuse, and those who are physically and mentally disabled. Mission Mission Statement: To be a leader in ending homelessness by providing a unique system of dignified housing opportunities, programs and supportive services. Operational Statement: To end the cycle of homelessness of those who enter our system of care. 2014 -2015 Statistics • Mercy House prevented or ended the homelessness of 816 men, women, and children • Mercy House provided transitional housing to 218 individuals, successfully transitioning 70 of them into stable, permanent housing