Summary
Organization name
Mercy Housing
other names
Mercy Housing Colorado
1981
Category
Housing & Shelter
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
1600 Broadway, Suite 2000Denver, CO 80202
Denver County, CO, US
Testimonials
"I don't know where my family or I would be without Grace Apartments…..But I know where I was…..And I know where I am, today…..And I know where I am going. I have friends. I have opportunity. And I have hope. Thank you, Mercy Housing!"
-Mami- Age 14
"I don't know where I'd be without Mercy Housing. I do know though, that without Mercy Housing many more people would be homeless. I'm grateful to be here."
-Emma- Age 74
"Being on the street you forget about the niceties in life. After coming to live at Mercy Housing, I could feel myself coming back the way you feel circulation coming back to your foot after you've been sitting too long. It is a wonderful feeling. Without Mercy Housing, I would be totally alone in the world."
-David
"Mercy Housing gave me the support and stable community to learn that the future is whatever I want it to be."
-Soaring, a single mother and domestic abuse survivor
"I like to have a place to go when my mom is at work."
-Liam, a second grader who participates in Mercy Housing's Out-of-School Program
Giving Activity
Mission
The mission of Mercy Housing is to create stable, vibrant and healthy communities by developing, financing and operating affordable, program-enriched housing for families, seniors, and people with special needs who lack the economic resources to access quality, safe housing opportunities.
Background Statement
Our story begins in the early 1980s, when founder Sister Timothy Marie O’Roark, a Sister of Mercy of Omaha, served as a legal aid attorney in Omaha, Nebraska, working with families facing eviction from their homes. She witnessed the horrible conditions in which they lived, and saw that many had little to no help accessing affordable housing. She recognized that the root problem for many of her clients was the lack of stable housing, as many were facing eviction from their homes because they simply could not afford rent. She saw the pervasive impact that an insecure living situation had on family dynamics, as children faced difficulties in school and parents encountered problems finding stable employment.
She vowed, “We can do better.”
In order to treat a growing social crisis, she organized her religious community, the Sisters of Mercy, and founded Mercy Housing in 1981.
The program answered a desperate need and expanded to regional offices across the country, including Colorado. In 40 years, Mercy Housing has grown into a national organization, now operating in locations across 20 states. In 1993, Mercy Housing Colorado was formed to effectively and immediately meet the need for affordable housing in the state.
Mercy Housing Colorado provides affordable homes to nearly 3,000 low-income individuals and families living at 17 communities located in Commerce City, Denver, Durango, Westminster, and Fort Collins. More than a third of the people Mercy Housing Colorado serves are children. Mercy Housing also operates one family property in Kaysville, Utah, which is managed by the Mercy Housing Colorado team. Resident Services are offered at no cost to residents at many Mercy Housing communities.
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Organization Data
Denver, CO 80202