Mercy House

Changing the world one family at a time.

Stories

We have stories of inspiration.  Mercy House has helped hundreds of families find self sufficiency again.

 

Annetta

In June 1993, Annetta and her son Aaron Emmanuel came to the Harrisonburg area with the plan to stay with family.   She finally fled from repeated emotional and physical abuse in West Virginia after Aaron’s head was squeezed so hard his two front teeth popped out.  Unfortunately, her family did not lend a helping hand and Annetta found herself without a home and scared about the future.  The two resorted to living in the back of their pick-up truck until Mercy House learned about their situation and gave them a place to live.  Annetta remembers crying and being so grateful that she and her son had a place to sleep.

While at Mercy House, Annetta turned her life around in many ways.  She was able to get dental work which improved her employability and helped boost her self-esteem.  Aaron received counseling and Annetta worked to earn her GED.  She and Aaron only stayed at Mercy House for two months until Annetta was able to afford her own apartment.

With the help of limited community resources, she has made numerous goals for herself which include furthering her education, a better job and staying self- sufficient.  She thinks of the people at Mercy House as her second family and attributes her new perspective on life to their generosity.  Every month Annetta brings over a gift to Mercy House and delivers it to a current resident family as a way of “giving back”.   

The “Smith” Family

Luis and Jaquelin “Smith” resided at Mercy House with their four children from February to April in 2003.  The couple used their time at Mercy House as a chance to get back on their feet.  They learned about the importance of saving, keeping a budget and worked hard to become financially stable and self-sufficient. 

The family put a lot of effort into the program and always volunteered to do more chores than expected of them.  Their children, who at the time were ages 1, 5, 10, and 11, were heavily involved in the children’s programs.  They went on field trips, made arts and crafts and received tutoring and homework assistance.  The children also took advantage of and benefited from the daily “one-on-one” time with the child services volunteers. 

The family found it difficult to leave because they developed strong friendships with the staff and other residents but needed to continue on their path to becoming homeowners.  They moved into a small apartment with low rent in order to continue saving for a house they hope to buy in the near future. 

Sharon

Sharon came to the Mercy House with their son in hopes of bettering their lives emotionally and financially.  From September through November 2000, she learned how to be a better parent and budget her money wisely.  Throughout most of her life Sharon was very dependent on others and never lived by herself.  While at Mercy House she found her inner strength and realized she can do things on her own. 

Her number one goal is and will continue to be “being a good mother” to her now two children.  She wants the best for her kids and understands that her time with them is very precious.  The family makes frequent trips to the park and tries to spend as much time together as they can.  They live in public housing right now, but Sharon’s hope is to move them out to the country so she can provide her son and daughter room to run around and their very own swing set.

While living at Mercy House, Sharon began working at Arby’s Restaurant.  Over time she has climbed up in rank to become shift manager making $8.00 an hour.  Her success is not limited to work; after years of struggling with a reading and writing disability she is working hard to get her GED.  It is not easy working full time and taking care of her children, but Sharon is determined to pass her tests in the fall.  She even has the dream to become a cosmetologist in the near future. 

At this time Sharon is not receiving benefits from any government programs, therefore she has reached her goal of becoming independent.  Sharon proudly said, “I have tried my hardest to reach my goals and have a better life.  I have continued to work to reach the goals I set while at Mercy House and I think I am doing a good job.” 

Kathleen

Kathleen and her two girls lived at Mercy House in 1995 and 1999.  She left Mercy House prematurely in 1995 and was not emotionally strong enough to stay sober, keep a roof over her family’s head, and maintain her own health.  When she returned she found it hard to transition back to Mercy House’s way of life because she had the attitude of  “I wanted to do what I wanted to do”.  However, once she helped with community chores and followed the rules and regulations she started to notice good things would happen.  “The submission, the humility and the organization were all a part of getting priorities in order.”

When Kathleen lived at Mercy House she had two goals, sobriety and self-sufficiency for herself and her children.  She found employment and Mast and Brunk as a sheet metal fabricator which paid $7.50 an hour.  With hard work and determination, Kathleen is now an administrative assistant earning $11.30 an hour with health insurance, a 401K and vacation leave.  She is able to support her family in an apartment without public assistance or child support.  Now her goals include becoming a homeowner and helping her two daughters further their education.

Recently Kathleen was asked to serve on the Mercy House Executive Board and answered “It will be an honor to pay back some of what Mercy House has done for me.  It will be an opportunity to do penance for my past.”

Eagle Scouts

Kevin Van Pelt and Tim Beierle are two local Boy Scouts hoping to earn their Eagle Scout Badge before they turn 18.  They have both chosen the difficult task of refurbishing one of our homeless shelter apartments. This means: taking out old flooring and putting down new, patching and painting walls, installing, painting, or restoring cabinets, new countertops, and of course a vigorous cleaning.  Kevin has completed his project with everything he needed donated by local merchants and a great deal of help from fellow Scouts and family members.  Tim is still working.  We see the lights on in his chosen apartment at night and on weekends and know he is almost finished.  Both youths and their troops are completing their projects with professional results.   Mercy House residents are thrilled.  One young mother said, “I wasn’t expecting such a clean, pretty place to stay.”