Mercy Home, founded in 1862 by the Sisters of Mercy, first served homeless children. Five boys orphaned by a fire, appeared on the convent steps seeking safety. In 1883, the children’s wing was completed, providing a safe and loving environment for 600 individuals.
Letter from the
Executive Director Without a doubt, this past year has tested us and the people in our care. When New York City became the epicenter of a global health crisis, many of our programs were suspended and the people we support were unable to leave their homes due to COVID-19 safety guidelines. The pandemic made us pause, reflect, and establish new initiatives to ensure that our residents were able to remain healthy, happy, and safe. The incredible strides we made as an organization were made possible by our dedicated staff who stepped up during the tough times and helped us navigate through this new reality. Throughout all the growth and change we experienced, they never wavered on our mission to enrich the lives of adults and children with developmental disabilities. I am so proud of each and every employee who brought their very best to work throughout the COVID-19 crisis, and who embodied our core values of respect, trust, teamwork, care, and compassion. Despite challenges, with your help, we were able to continue cultivating the talents of the people we care for in a significant way while also keeping our residents safe during a period that was difficult for them to understand. We rapidly evolved our programs to meet the needs of the moment, established new partnerships, and created innovative, sensory friendly, and virtual activities to keep our community engaged.
This work—and much more—is detailed in the following report, which gives insight into all that we accomplished and overcame. As we share these highlights, we are reminded of the outpouring of love and generosity we received from so many of you. We remain deeply grateful to our supporters, staff, partners, and our community who inspire us with their commitment to our mission.
History of
Mercy Home
Our work to make this a more compassionate and inclusive world for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities continues as we help the people we support discover their individual gifts and abilities. Now as many of our residents and staff have become fully vaccinated and our city reopens , we look forward to safely resuming many of the activities that they have missed.
By 1976, we began to focus on the needs of developmentally disabled children, establishing a long-term residential care facility. In 1977, we established the first Developmental Therapy Unit in New York City for children with autism spectrum disorder. In 1978, Mercy Home opened our first residential facility in Red Hook, Brooklyn, followed by 12 more over the next 30 years – each one providing individualized care in a community setting.
I could not be prouder of who we are and what Mercy Home is doing today, and your support makes it all possible. Thank you for standing with us and helping us teach life skills, lifelong.
Mercy Home envisions a world of fairness and equality in which people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live more fully integrated within the community. We work to change the world’s view of those we serve as we help them discover their individual gifts and abilities, and we seek to promote greater compassion and understanding of those people who make up our community.
Janice Aris Janice Aris, MS, MSW Executive Director
We provide essential services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Mercy Home’s mission is to ensure the quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities through the recognition of each person’s inherent dignity and right to a life filled with learning and love. Our mission is fulfilled in practice through our core values: respect, trust, teamwork, care, and compassion.
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