The New Mercies Solution
New Mercies Ministries (NMM) is a collaboration among area churches, volunteers, and community agencies designed to give at-risk children and parents a network of support. Just like a close friend or extended family member, NMM provides safe, loving homes where parents can voluntarily have their children cared for while seeking to restore stability in their lives without the fear of losing custody. If you would like to have someone from our support line give you a call, please click here.
Request Support
How Does New Mercies Work?
After a referral is received by our support line and determined to be an appropriate fit, NMM works quickly to match children with volunteer host families who have been recruited from local churches and have been extensively screened, trained, and approved with multiple background checks, fingerprinting, references, and home evaluation. A family coach closely monitors the hosting of children in the host home and works with parents to create and meet measurable goals.
Why New Mercies Ministries?
- Provides early intervention, allowing families to receive help before abuse or neglect occurs.
- Offers a non-coercive alternative to state child welfare and loss of custody.
- Increases the social capital in our community as neighbors help neighbors and lasting relationships are formed.
- Has an unlimited resource engine through its volunteer base.
- Promotes a high value of children in our society.
We are committed to reuniting parents and children as soon as possible.
Details
Reasons for Referral
- Families seek the help of NMM because of family situations such as homelessness, hospitalization, parental substance abuse, mental health needs, domestic violence, and incarceration.
Referral Sources
- Families can self-refer or may be connected to us by social service agencies, homeless shelters, hospitals, drug treatment centers, doctor’s offices, schools, jail chaplain, etc.
Length of Stay
- Average length is 3 weeks, but length of stay is based on need and can range from a few days to months.
Ages
- Children & young adults ages 0-20 are eligible for hosting.
Discharge
- Approximately 99% of children return to their parents.
Cost
- Free
