Resident Services: Focus on Impact
Along with a home, residents need access to opportunities and resources, which is why Mercy Housing stands behind our integrated model of providing affordable housing along with coordinated onsite services for four decades. We deepen our impact by addressing the social determinants of health, recognizing that the largest impact we can make is through the health of residents and housing success.
Health & Wellness
For residents to experience improved health, they must have access to food and health services.
What it looks like:
Increased healthcare access
- Residents have health insurance
- Residents have a primary healthcare physician
- Residents receive an annual physical checkup
Increased food security
- Residents feel food secure
- Residents have access to food programs, including food banks, Meals on Wheels, SNAP, nutrition education, and cooking classes
Improved mental health
- Residents feel like they are having more “good mental health days” in a month
- Residents feel less lonely in their communities
Housing Success
Housing success refers to residents feeling stable in their homes. This results in residents experiencing less housing insecurity.
What it looks like:
- Seniors are able to age in place with dignity in a socially supportive community.
- Families achieve stability and mobility with more positive, and fewer negative, move-outs.
- Formerly unhoused residents receive the support they need until they are ready to move out.
Providing Access to Opportunity
We continue to provide additional critical programming and activities that foster community engagement, improve financial wellbeing, and engage in youth development from early childhood through high school. These programs are evidence-based interventions and are implemented at the local regional levels.
| The Focus | The Goal | ||
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Improve Health Outcomes
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Residents have better health overall, including increased food security and more access to health care, including primary care and annual checkups |
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Promote Housing Stability
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Residents are able to solve problems and make connections by partnering with staff and neighbors |
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Expand Community Engagement
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Residents are able to solve problems and make connections by partnering with staff and neighbors |
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Support Youth Development
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Children have more access to educational support, and greater success in post-high school careers and education |
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Strengthen Financial Well-being
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Residents are able to increase their assets and improve their credit standing |
Interested in Partnering with Us to Provide Resident Services?
How We Measure the Impact on Residents
Mercy Housing has a rigorous monitoring and evaluation plan that assesses the impact of our programming. Using a variety of tools such as surveys, resident assessments, as well as community-level data, we use this information and to improve and refine our programs. Recent reports include The Staying Power of Services and Emergency Department Utilization.
The Future of Resident Services
Today, we have Resident Services at approximately 75 percent of our properties so that all of our residents can benefit from the support and assistance Mercy Housing provides. Our goal is to have them at every Mercy Housing community.
Mercy Housing is committed to the use of best practices in Resident Services delivery, program evaluation, and program model development. Best and promising practices based on the strongest available evidence of effectiveness are derived from program evaluation, expert advice, and practical wisdom. The practices in use are reviewed annually to ensure they represent the most efficient approaches available based on the population and setting.
