A safe place to call home. It sounds like such a basic requirement, but many of the children never experienced it before coming to Mercy Home. As Chloe started high school, she found that her home had suddenly become an unsafe place.

Chloe grew up with a single mother. Her father was never really in the picture, and her mom was not very reliable. She was often more interested in going out than taking care of her daughter. She had a string of relationships with men that didn’t last very long— eventually Chloe learned it was better not to get attached to her mother’s boyfriends.

But one day Chloe’s mom announced that she was getting married to her current boyfriend. Chloe was excited, because she thought this would mean this boyfriend would stick around. She hoped that she would finally have a dad. She didn’t know this man very well, but he seemed to make her mom happy. And that made Chloe happy.

But when her mom’s new fiancé moved into their apartment, everything changed. He didn’t help out with the housework or have a job. Mostly, he sat on the couch drinking all day. He seemed to resent that his soon-to-be wife had a daughter. He never wanted Chloe around. And he often invited large groups of his friends over. They stayed late into the night, drinking and being loud, even on weeknights. Sometimes Chloe couldn’t sleep because of the noise.

The friends her mother’s fiancé invited over weren’t always nice people. On more than one occasion, they acted inappropriately with Chloe. But when she told her mom, she brushed off her concerns. She refused to do anything to protect her daughter.

To make matters worse, the stress and chaos at Chloe’s house made it difficult for her to concentrate on her schoolwork. She had always liked school and been a good student. But with everything going on, her grades were beginning to drop. Chloe was both panicked and depressed about it. She would be applying to colleges in a couple years and knew every grade counted.

Realizing her mom would not provide a safe environment for her, Chloe began staying at a friend’s house. But it became apparent that after a week or two, she had overstayed her welcome. Not knowing where else to turn, Chloe approached her school social worker to ask for help locating a shelter to stay in. But the social worker had a better idea—Mercy Home.

She explained to Chloe that our Home would give her a safe place to live, where she could focus on her education and reaching her future goals. Chloe had never considered living in a place like Mercy Home, but she liked the sound of it and was willing to give it a try. She moved in shortly after.

The first few months at Mercy Home were an adjustment for Chloe. Some changes were good: she loved not having to worry about being harassed by random men in her house and couldn’t believe all the support she received from my coworkers. But other changes were difficult—she wasn’t used to following rules or sticking to a strict schedule.

After settling in, Chloe began to shine. She quickly brought her grades back up with the help of her tutors. She found she really benefited from working with her therapist and enjoyed going to therapy session each week. And she made friends with the other girls, who she now considers family.

Coming to Mercy Home changed Chloe’s whole life, and your friendship made it possible! Thank you for your prayers and support of our kids.

A special partnership for the sake of Mercy’s kids and for our televised Sunday Mass

You can make a difference in the life of a troubled child. Fr. Scott needs Partners to pray for our kids at Mercy Home–and also faithful Partners to help broadcast Sunday Mass at Mercy Home.

The boys and girls of Mercy Home are very proud of the difference they are able to make just by sharing their time and heart with others. None of this would be possible without our kind, faithful supporters, for not only sharing their friendship but for also setting an example of generosity and compassion for them to follow. During this month, please keep the young people of Mercy Home and all of our generous benefactors in your thoughts and prayers.