This story begins on Christmas Eve, 1981, when Mercy Housing, Inc., was incorporated as a Nebraska nonprofit corporation, with the goal of helping low-income residents stabilize their lives and achieve their dreams. Omaha’s Sisters of Mercy had agreed to an initial investment of $500,000 after Sister Timothy Marie O’Roark proposed that the order adopt Affordable and Supportive Housing as a sponsored ministry. While serving as a legal aid attorney, O’Roark had witnessed first-hand the heartbreak of families facing eviction — and their lack of affordable options. She vowed, “We can do better.”

Now one of the nation’s largest affordable housing organizations, Mercy leads the way in creating program‐enriched communities that are stable, vibrant, and healthy, for families, seniors, and individuals with special needs. They are committed to incorporating the local community into the development process through a variety of means, including meetings with neighbors, neighborhood associations, and local leaders, as well as public meetings and regular written and electronic communications. 

A California Success Story

Burbank Boulevard Senior Housing

Seniors are among the most vulnerable in the homeless population and their ranks have surged in recent years. Mercy Housing California is the state’s most experienced owner of service-enriched housing for independent seniors, currently operating 48 senior communities with 3,400 apartments. Permanent Supportive Housing combines low-barrier housing, health care, and supportive services to help residents lead more stable lives. This model not only impacts housing status, but also results in cost savings for various public service systems. However, despite the benefits, affordable housing projects must often overcome resistance from surrounding communities.

As the Daily News reported in 2019, approval for Mercy’s Burbank Boulevard Senior Housing “came after a rocky start to an effort to build homeless housing options in Sherman Oaks, with some residents balking at potential homeless housing and shelter projects that [Councilman David] Ryu’s office had been exploring at two other sites.” After a city study, those initial proposals were ultimately dropped, but Ryu’s office later came back to champion Mercy’s senior housing project. “While it was met at first with apprehension from some residents, subsequent outreach done by the office has elicited a more positive response than with the earlier effort.”

The United Way of Greater Los Angeles also worked with the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council and city officials to try to build support for the project. Their Everyone In campaign promotes the construction of permanent supportive housing units.