My placement for this year is at Mercy Haven, Inc. Founded in 1985, Mercy Haven serves the Homeless and Mental Health populations of Long Island. Mercy Haven works to provide temporary or permanent housing, as well as support services for those who seek its aide. The mission of Mercy Haven is to, “… acknowledge the dignity and potential of people who are homeless, living with mental illness, or living in poverty by providing housing, advocacy, education, and life skills development” (Mercy Haven Mission, para.1). Mercy Haven provides three types of housing services for the residents within the organization. The types of Residentiaries include Community Residence, HEARTH residences, and Pleasant Gardens. The Community Residences,’ often …show more content…
Mercy Haven has three Community Residences, two located in Suffolk County and one in Nassau County. The second type of housing provided is through a program Mercy Haven refers to as HEARTH (Healed, Enriched and Renewed Through Housing). HEARTH is Mercy Haven’s supported housing program, that offers independent living with supportive services. Residents are provided with a Housing Specialists to aid them with financial management, health management, personal care, and maintenance of the home. There are two specific programs that Mercy Haven has established to hold true to its mission statement. Mercy Advocacy Program (MAP), Mercy Haven's legal advocacy program, responds to the civil legal emergencies of Mercy Haven residents. It also works for systemic change to protect those who are homeless, living with mental illness, or living in poverty. Mercy Enrichment provides opportunities for education, respite, rejuvenation and reflection. A variety of programs are offered for residents, staff and the community at-large at Mercy Enrichment, located in Brentwood, which expresses the agency's core goal to bring a community together to experience and practice compassion. As a non-profit, non-sectarian organization, Mercy Haven receives financial support raises funds through …show more content…
Mercy Haven’s services are predominantly located in Suffolk County, although there are residencies located in Nassau as well. The main issue Mercy Haven seeks to address is homelessness or being at risk of homelessness. Mercy Haven has a very diverse community amongst the entire agency. According to the 2015 Annual Report, 51% of the population is female, and 49% is male. In terms of race, 56% identifies as White, 34% Black, 8% Hispanic, and 2% identifies as Asian/Other. The age population is also vast, due to the fact that Mercy Haven also homes families. Nine percent is age 0-5, 6% is 6-10 yrs., 7% is 11-17, 15% is 18-35 yrs., 58% is 36-64 yrs., and 5% is aged 65 and up (pg.2, 2015). There has been many substantial changes and milestones in the agency’s 30 year history. Some highlights