A letter from
the president.
I am delighted to present Mercy Housing's strategic business plan for the years 2024 to 2026. This comprehensive strategy is the result of a year-long, collaborative endeavor that engaged over 300 Mercy Housing staff and board members, along with numerous external partners, stakeholders, and friends nationwide. This has been an incredible journey, which has proven to be among the most extensive, inclusive, and iterative planning efforts. The leadership aimed to leverage the new planning initiative not only to address operational enhancements but also to foster increased collaboration with essential staff and stakeholders at various organizational levels and across the country. Envisioned as a strategic business plan, the goal was to make it operational, actionable, measurable, and closely aligned with the organization’s business requirements, building upon the vision outlined in the 2020 – 2024 Strategic Plan. Since that the plan, the world has emerged from a global pandemic and financial, social, and organizational realities shifted. Our new plan provides a clear framework with defined goals so that we can successfully build for the future and continue to provide quality affordable service-enriched housing for families, seniors, and people with special needs. We plan to leverage resources to increase and preserve healthy, safe, culturally appropriate, climate resilient, cost-efficient affordable housing while also increasing access to opportunities and resources that enhance the lives of Mercy Housing residents. We continue to build a more diverse, inclusive, and racially, equitable organizational culture while positioning Mercy Housing as a strong, adaptable organization that can thrive, grow and diversify.
Ismael Guerrero
President & CEO
Who we are
Vision
Mercy Housing is committed to creating affordable homes and inspiring dreams as we work with residents and partners to establish engaged, strong, and inclusive communities.
Mission
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.
Core Values
Mercy Housing holds as its core values:
Respect: A basic perspective and behavior which is attentive, considerate and shows special regard for the inherent dignity of persons and the sacredness of creation.
Justice: Ensure fair and equitable access, opportunity and advancement for all. Identify and eliminate barriers, including but not limited to racial discrimination, that prevent full participation of marginalized groups.
Mercy: The ability to see need and respond with compassion.
Commitment to Diversity
Mercy Housing was founded on the belief that housing justice is social justice. We live by our core values and commit ourselves to advancing racial equity, diversity, and inclusion (REDI).
Mercy Housing is an equal opportunity housing provider and employer, dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion regardless of religion, sex, gender, national origin, disability, race, age, marital status, or sexual orientation.
Our story
Mercy Housing began in 1981 with a vow from Sister Timothy Marie O’Roark, a Sister of Mercy Housing, that “We can do better.” Since that time, Mercy Housing has grown from a single commitment of $500,000 to one of the largest affordable housing providers in the nation- the largest among its nonprofit peers.
Mercy Housing has been at the forefront of innovating affordable housing approaches– integrating robust and responsive resident services with vibrant, market-quality, climate-resilient housing. This integrated model of providing onsite coordination of housing and services gives residents access to opportunities and resources to build stable lives.
Today, Mercy Housing has a presence in over 45 states with communities in 21 states. The portfolio includes over 340 affordable housing communities serving over 45,000 people with low-incomes, Mercy Housing is supported by several affiliated subsidiaries such as Mercy Housing Management Group, which provides property management services, and Mercy Community Capital (MCC), which is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that finances nonprofit and mission-based organizations.