History

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls was founded in 1887 in temporary quarters located above a Catholic library in the shadows of the Board of Trade Building on LaSalle St.  Fr. Louis Campbell, a Chicago priest, originally named the shelter for homeless boys St. Paul’s Home for Working Boys.  But later that same year, it was incorporated as the Mission of Our Lady of Mercy and established as a distinct organization within the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.  When Fr. Campbell fell ill in 1889, Fr. Dennis Mahoney took charge, scraped together a modest down payment, and purchased a private residence for the boys at what is now 1140 W. Jackson Boulevard.

Some 119 years and more than 22,000 children later, adolescents from dysfunctional and chaotic domestic situations continue to seek and find shelter, hope and a fresh start in one or another of Mercy Home’s fourteen residential homes.  The program is based upon a Bruno-Bettelheim-like model that creates a therapeutic milieu community to help youth permanently correct emotional, behavioral and cognitive barriers to healthy life development.  Mercy Home provides these at-risk 11 to 21+ year-olds with what generally is taken for granted: a healthy home, family atmosphere, food, clothing, education and medical assistance.  From the home’s professional staff, the children receive therapy tailored to their needs, along with key intangibles: a sense of belonging, security, moral and ethical values, and social responsibility.

Fr. James J. Close presided at Mercy Home for 33 years, mentoring and ministering to thousands of children, while serving as their “father figure.”  In 1993, Fr. Close invited Fr. Scott Donahue to assist him.  Three years later, Fr. Donahue became Mercy Home’s associate president.  That same year he earned a master’s degree in social work from Loyola University.  Fr. Close was awarded a master’s degree in administration from the University of Notre Dame in 1981.

Mercy Home began accepting girls in 1987.  Three years later it was renamed Mercy Home for Boys & Girls.  At the Girls Campus in Chicago’s Beverly community, young women find safety, learn crucial life skills, and receive individual and family therapy.  Also in 1987, Mercy Home’s Friends First program began matching trained adult volunteer mentors with children in need.

In August 2003 the Reverend James J. Close Home was opened to accommodate more youth than ever before in Mercy Home’s history.  The dream of Father Close to expand and open this new home was launched in January 2000 by Frs. Close and Donahue.  The Legacy of Miracles Fund was established to raise $10 million to expand and enhance physical buildings and programs.  Legacy funds continue to be earmarked to underwrite the home’s ongoing mission to serve more children and to sustain our expanding programs. 

In April 2006, Father Close retired. Fr. Scott Donahue assumed full leadership of the Home, becoming its 8th president.  

Mercy Home raises more than 98 percent of its funds privately, through the generous support of donors from across the country.