Who Mercy Manor is the right fit for
Mercy Manor is a one-year, Christ-centered residential recovery program for adult women (18 and older) who are ready to rebuild and willing to commit to a full year of structure. Addiction is the most common story, but it is not a requirement. The woman who fits here is one who:
- is an adult woman, 18 or older, entering voluntarily;
- is facing addiction, homelessness or near-homelessness, the long rebuilding after abuse, or starting over after loss — often several at once;
- has completed medical detox already, if substances are part of the picture (see below);
- wants the change, and is willing to give a year to it;
- has no history of violent crime and no offense against a child (a background check is part of intake).
A mother may bring her children, up to age 11. See the full, plainly-stated admissions criteria on Who We Can Help.
Who we're not the right door for — and where to send her
The most useful thing we can do for you and for her is be honest about our limits. If any of these is the situation, please route her accordingly — and call us anyway if you're unsure; we would rather help you find the right door than take a referral that isn't a fit.
She's in danger tonight
Mercy Manor is not an emergency shelter and has not yet opened. Call 911, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233), or in Hood County Mission Granbury's Ada Carey Shelter.
She needs medical detox
Detox is medical care and must happen first, at a detox facility. Mercy Manor is the step after. Coming off some substances without supervision is dangerous.
She's paroling directly out of prison
Mercy Manor is not a TDCJ-approved release address. Refer her to Sanctified Hope, about thirty minutes away and set up for direct-from-prison placement. (A past incarceration is not a barrier — that's a different case, and may fit here.)
She needs acute psychiatric care
Mercy Manor is not a psychiatric treatment program. A woman in acute psychiatric crisis needs clinical care first; call 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Most prescribed medication is administered by trained staff and is no barrier — but note that Mercy Manor is not currently able to accept a woman in medication-assisted treatment for opioid use (methadone, Suboxone, or similar); that policy is under board review. If you're referring a woman on MAT, call us and we'll help find the right fit for her.
Minors: Mercy Manor serves adult women only and cannot house an unaccompanied minor. For a girl under 18, contact Texas DFPS or a licensed youth program.
What makes a strong referral
You don't need a formal packet. What helps most is a straight picture of the woman and her situation. Before you call, it's useful to have a sense of:
- her situation in a sentence or two — what she's facing, and what she's ready for;
- whether substances are involved, and whether she has detoxed or needs to;
- whether she has children who would come with her, and their ages;
- any immediate safety concerns;
- the best way for us to reach her, and whether she knows you're calling.
Tell her what to expect: a first conversation that is confidential and unhurried, no obligation, and an honest answer about whether Mercy Manor is the right fit right now. We will never share a woman's name, story, or photo without her written permission — see our privacy commitment.
How to refer, step by step
Reach out
Call 817-881-6613 or use our contact form. You can start the conversation with or without the woman present.
We talk it through
We'll listen to the situation, answer your questions honestly, and tell you plainly whether Mercy Manor is the right fit — or point you to who is.
We connect with her
If it's a fit, we speak with the woman directly, confidentially, and walk through what comes next together.
The detailed intake steps, application, and opening date are being finalized; this page will state the exact process once confirmed.
What you can tell her about the program
Mercy Manor is a full year, on purpose — long enough to heal, learn practical skills, and rebuild a life, not just pause a crisis. It's Christ-centered, trauma-informed, and built specifically for women, holding recovery, housing, counseling, and life skills under one roof rather than scattered across separate systems. If it helps to show her (or your team) the reasoning, the research behind the one-year model is here, and the program itself is here.
Common questions
Can I refer a woman who is still using?
Yes, but detox has to come first. Mercy Manor is a residential recovery program, not a medical detox or psychiatric facility. A woman needs to have completed medical detox at another community facility before she enters. Call us and we can talk through the timing and, where we can, help point toward detox options in the meantime.
Can she bring her children?
A mother may bring her children, up to age 11. The mother is solely responsible for their care; children attend daycare, school, or afterschool programs off-site, and no Mercy Manor staff provides childcare. An infant may remain with her mother in her care. Because the home is still being prepared for families ahead of opening, confirm current availability with us when you refer.
Can I refer a woman coming straight out of prison?
Not directly. Mercy Manor is not a TDCJ-approved release address, so a woman paroling directly out of prison should be referred to Sanctified Hope, about thirty minutes away, which is set up for exactly that. A woman who was incarcerated at some point in the past and is now facing homelessness, abuse, or addiction may well be a fit for Mercy Manor — that is a different situation, and we're glad to talk it through.
Is there a cost to my agency or to the woman for a referral?
There is no fee to your agency for referring a woman. For the woman herself, the first four months are free, covered by scholarships, grants, and donations; from month five, once she is working, she contributes 500 dollars a month toward her room and the program. Mercy Manor is a donor-funded 501(c)(3).
What if she's in immediate danger tonight?
Mercy Manor is a one-year program and is not an emergency shelter, and it has not yet opened. If she is in immediate danger, call 911, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or in Hood County contact Mission Granbury's Ada Carey Shelter for Women and Children. Mercy Manor is the next step after immediate safety, not the response to tonight's emergency.