Program areas at Mercy Haven
mercy haven's supported housing program, known as hearth, is the largest component of our housing with 253 residents, including 72 children in 2022. hearth offers permanent housing with varying levels of support that are based on the needs of the individual or family. staff members known as housing specialists visit our residents a minimum of once per month to provide resources and support with tasks such as budgeting, establishing community support, job readiness evaluation and health management. in 2022, 91% of mercy haven's residents had maintained stable housing for 6 months or more.
mercy haven, inc. was awarded 75 section 8 housing assistance vouchers through the U.S. department of housing and urban development mainstream program. this application was submitted in cooperation with the community development corporation of long island as the lead agency. the community development corporation of long island monitors and awards these vouchers to persons who are aged or living with a disability. this gives citizens the ability to rent affordable housing of their choice.
mercy haven operates 3 community residences which are licensed by the NY State Office of Mental Health and provide care 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for a total of 34 adults. a community residence provides the opportunity for individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness to develop existing skills and learn new skills for independent living in a supportive, structured, yet home-like setting. during their stay, which averages approximately 2 years and 9 months residents work with staff to develop personalized care plans containing goals that will help them to live more independently. Skills residents work to develop include, cooking, cleaning, socialization, medication management, budgeting, community integration, job readiness assessments and use of public transportation.