There are three residential programs for Mercy Center Ministries: two designated for homeless females ages 16-21 who are pregnant or parenting (located in Blue Point & Sayville), and one for homeless/runaway females ages 16-21 (located in Patchogue). Mercy Center Ministries is not a religious organization, it is non-denominational. A young woman may be referred by anyone, or she can come to us herself- there are no barriers to our services unless the youth is currently abusing alcohol or drugs, mentally unstable, or has a recent history of violent behavior. We refer those youths to programs more appropriate for their circumstances.
Our residents look just like any other teens you might see, but they have a horrible home life from which they must escape. Coming to Mercy provides them a safe, structured place to heal. Mercy is not foster care—youths may return home whenever they wish—in fact, we encourage and facilitate family reunification whenever it is possible. Most, if not all of our residents come to us from neglectful, addicted, or abusive guardians. Our program provides girls with shelter, food, case management, recreation, counseling, and independent living skills, as well as parenting-training for our teen moms. All residents are required to re-enter school in either their original school district or the district in which our respective home is located.
To donate, please contact Laura Rizzo, Associate Director, at lcrmercy@gmail.com.