Mercy Home

Every Year, Mercy Home works with almost 300 individuals, including persons with I/DD and their family members. The individuals in our care vary in functioning from mild/moderate to severe/profound intellectual disabilities. Each individual receives the personal planning, attention, and assistance they need to reach their full potential. About 70% of participants have been diagnosed with ASD. At least 20% are dually diagnosed with various impairments, such as cerebral palsy, neurological disorders, seizures, deafness, or blindness. We also serve individuals that are nonverbal (45%) and we teach them alternative ways to communicate. Mercy Home's services are inclusive and support a diverse population: 51% of participants are African-American, 31% white non-Latino, 17% Latino, and 1% are Asian.

Mercy Home hosts an array of programs and services that meet the needs of people with developmental disabilities at any stage of their life. We maintain 13 family style homes in our Residential Services program to provide a path to living as independently as possible. These homes are community-based and typically situated in neighborhoods where they grew up. They are furnished with adaptive equipment and handicapped accessibility depending on the need. Living independently plays a significant role in our resident's lives, offering a source of self-esteem, personal motivation, and self-fulfillment.

Medicaid Service Coordination helps our individuals and their families access the services and supports they need to achieve life goals. Case managers work one-on-one with participants and their family members to ensure that each individual receives necessary care to develop self-advocacy skills and independence. Case management involves an in-depth assessment of a client's resources, preferences and needs, along with individualized care planning, coordination and ongoing monitoring of a person's well-being.

Respite Services offer a variety of activities focused on recreation, community inclusion, therapeutic growth, and skill building. Our main emphasis is on having fun, building community, and supporting self-expression. Mercy Home staff help them explore the local community and enjoy activities, like visits to cafes, museums, and libraries.

The Creative Arts Therapy program provides vital music, drama, and art therapy allowing each child to become innovators of their own expression, using both verbal and non-verbal contexts to be present, focused, and expressive. Our Gifted Artists Program provides extra time for older individuals to focus on their talent. In June, we host a Gallery In the Garden, an arts festival, to display works by residents and program participants alongside Brooklyn artists. Creative arts also includes Melodic Soul, our residents' performance band that teaches, entertains, and heals. Band members sing and create original music, perform for local organizations, at special events, and at Mercy Home.

Plant-Grow-Give is our innovative, organic urban farming project in which women and men with intellectual disabilities give back to the community through gardening. They oversee gardens, plant and harvest vegetables, and donate food to soup kitchens and food pantries, feeding more than 1,000 people a year.

Mercy Home's mission was motivated by the desire to work on behalf of the poor and marginalized, believing firmly in the dignity of every person. Mercy Home's arts programs, in particular, embody justice and nonviolence, especially as we seek to empower and lend voice to those who are marginalized. The program is inclusive and open to all, regardless of economic background. Services in the creative arts are available free of charge to families of all income levels – some of which have income below the federal poverty level. At a fundamental level, Mercy Home seeks to engage with the larger community to help individuals with special needs to integrate in a society that frequently ignores or isolates them. There is a very strong desire among our participants to reach out to the community, highlighting the unique and challenging perceptions of what are typically seen as limitations and barriers.

Every Year, Mercy Home works with almost 300 individuals, including persons with I/DD and their family members. Through innovative programming, we've seen children with autism spectrum disorder flourish. Nina, one of our Creative Arts Therapy program participants, has experienced some of the happiest moments in her life during music therapy. By participating in the program, she's been able to learn how to connect with others and with music. Before attending, she wasn't able to sing or dance. Now, she stands up and starts dancing around a room when the therapy is going in. Her parents are overwhelmed with joy by her progress. The program has been a magical and spiritual experience for Nina and her family.