At Mercy Housing & Human Development we hear this question almost every day. One of our main goals is to help low-income families become first time homeowners. We believe that people have a basic right to safe, affordable shelter, and that homeownership empowers communities and the families who live there. We believe sustainability is the key.
Currently, these are the programs we offer; though we are always evolving as the needs of our community continue to change.
- Homebuyer Education
- EITC Program/Vita
- Healthy Family Meals on a Budget
- Community Health Advocacy
- Estate Planning Workshop
PREVIOUS PROGRAMS
Homebuyer Education
Provides education and tools to low-wealth families to enable them to obtain a mortgage loan to purchase their first homes. Not only are they given the opportunity to own a home, they are taught how to keep it. We also provide credit counseling, money management, and loss mitigation counseling. Foreclosure prevention is currently one of our highest priorities and we are proud of our 99.8% non-foreclosure rate with families who have participated in our programs.
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EITC Program/VITA
Since 2009, MHHD has partnered with the IRS and the South MS Coalition to bring free tax preparation services to the community. IRS-trained volunteers provide this service to qualified clients across the MS Gulf Coast.
In 2015 alone Mercy Housing's contribution included 448 accepted tax returns and $850,018 in refunds. Since our program's inception, MHHD has helped to keep over Three Million Dollars in the pockets of the tax payers and in our community. Every year, we have seen the number of clients increase, thus enabling MHHD to make more of a positive financial impact with each tax season.
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Healthy Family Meals on a Budget
Eat better, feel better and save money! In our teaching kitchen a certified instructor shares tip with family members on how to shop and prepare nutritious meals affordably. Our MHHD classes include hands-on lessons in food preparation.
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Community Health Advocacy
A program designed to improve the health indices of the Vietnamese American commercial fishing community through health screenings, doctor visits and ACA Navigation with the assistance of an interpreter. Our community health worker's main focus is helping the Vietnamese community navigate the insurance and medical system as a translator and liaison between doctors and Vietnamese patients.
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Estate Planning Workshop
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PREVIOUS PROGRAMS
Katrina Rebuilding
MHHD has and continues to provide assistance to families devastated by 2005’s disastrous Hurricane Katrina.
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Cottages for the Coast
Partnering with the Mississippi Emergency Management agency (MEMA) we have provided permanent housing in well-built Mississippi Cottages to low-income elderly and/or disabled people in the state’s six southern counties.
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HomeOwners Association
To ensure success during the first five years, we at MHHD continue to work with new homeowners, providing classes and a newsletter with tips on repairs, maintenance and other issues.
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Volunteers Make a Difference
Mercy Housing has a relationship with Mercy Vocation High School, Philadelphia, PA. Since hurricane Katrina, we have hosted student groups from the school, who traveled to southern Mississippi and volunteered their energy to help people recover from storm damage.
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Gulf Coast Higher Education Individual Development Account
In a collaboration with our free Tax (EITC) program, if qualified, participants may open an Individual Development Account (IDA) and after certain requirements are met, such as saving consistently for 6 months, MHHD will match their funds 2:1 to be used towards education.
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