Mercy House

Changing the world one family at a time.

SAFE—at—Home

SAFE-at-Home is the Mercy House aftercare program for residents as they transition from the shelter into permanent housing.  SAFE has a double meaning.  The letters are an acronym for Self-sufficiency Assistance For Ex-residents and a safe level of existence is an objective of the program. 

Research and experience tells us that those people most likely to become homeless are those who have been homeless.  The goal of the SAFE-at-Home Program is to stop the cycle of homelessness and have families become self-sufficient in permanent housing.

According to the Federal Government’s brief #7, A Measure of How Families Are Doing, families are thriving, safe or at-risk.  When families come to Mercy House for shelter, most of them have been living at-risk and due to illness, loss of income, loss of transportation, etc. they become homeless.  Safe families have all the necessities and individual family members are able to reach their potential.  Thriving families are growing income and contributing to the community’s social capital.  

When a family conducts their exit interview with their Adult Service Coordinator, they have the option of participating in the aftercare program and can immediately sign the forms with the Aftercare Service Coordinator. 

The services the families receive are:

· Mentoring, having someone walking the walk with them and giving them feedback on their plans and goals.

· Constant budgeting refinement to meet changes

· Mercy House will assist a family with financial support; We make rent payments, pay car insurance, pay cut-off notice utility bills, and pay for car repairs.

· Not included in the 3 times only category, Mercy House will also pay for dental assistance, medications, gas vouchers, childcare, and job skills training.

· Clothing vouchers to the Mercy House Thrift Store are given as needed.

· Participants use the Mercy House food pantry as needed.

· Connections are made with other community agencies so the families can have their needs met.

· The Aftercare Service Coordinator visits each aftercare family at least once per month.  The purpose of the visits is to make sure the families have appliances and utensils necessary for preparing meals, have enough food, absenteeism from work and school is not a problem, that children do not have discipline problems, are able to relate to parents and are making passing marks in all subjects, and the family is sticking to their budget.  

The City of Harrisonburg, through Community Development Block Grant funding supports the SAFE-at-Home Program.  For more information about CDBG funding to Harrisonburg, click here.  For more on what this means to Mercy House, click here.

Mercy House hires and pays the salary of the Aftercare Service Coordinator.  For more information about this Mercy House program contact Seli@themercyhouse.org