Every woman who comes to Mercy Manor walks the same short path in. It begins with one phone call and a real person on the other end. What follows is meant to help us understand your situation, make sure a year-long residential home is the right kind of help for you right now, and — if it is — get you here well.
The process, step by step
Reach out
Call or email us. We start with a brief screening — who you are, what is happening in your life right now, and whether the basic criteria fit. It is a short, kind conversation, not an interrogation.
A phone interview
A longer conversation with our intake worker to understand your story — your history, your health, any legal matters, and the people in your corner. This is how we tell whether Mercy Manor is the right level of care. If it is not, we will point you toward a place that is.
Meet face to face
If the phone interview goes well, we meet in person. This is where the practical details of coming in are worked out together.
Background check and drug test
At that meeting you complete a criminal background check and a drug test. If the drug test is positive, we help you find detox first — and the door stays open for you afterward.
Agree to how we live here
Every woman agrees to the household's guidelines and to take part in all classes, including the faith-based ones. You do not have to share our faith to come; you are only asked to attend with an open heart.
Come home
We give you a list of what to bring and a family information packet, and we help arrange transportation for your move-in. Then you begin your year.
What we look for
Mercy Manor is the right home for a woman who is ready to begin again and willing to give a year to doing it properly. In plain terms, that means:
· You are an adult woman — eighteen or older.
· You are drug- and alcohol-free at admission. If you are not there yet, we help you get to detox first.
· You are ready to commit to the full one-year program.
· You are willing to work toward employment and to learn the practical skills of independent living.
· You agree to the house guidelines and to attend all classes, including the faith-based ones.
Mothers are welcome to bring their children up to age eleven. Having children, having relapsed before, and not being sure about the faith part do not disqualify you. For the fuller, plainer version of who we can and cannot serve, see Who We Can Help.
Where we may not be the right fit
Sometimes the most honest — and most helpful — thing we can do is tell you we are not the right door, and point you to a better one. That is the case if:
You are in medication-assisted treatment
Mercy Manor is not currently able to accept a woman on methadone, Suboxone (buprenorphine), or a similar maintenance medication for opioid use. Our board is reviewing this, and the policy may change. Medication-assisted treatment is a real and effective path — call us and we will help point you toward a program that supports it.
You are paroling straight out of prison
A home like ours is not a state-approved release address. Call Sanctified Hope, thirty minutes away and set up specifically for women coming directly out of prison — a place our founder once led.
There is a history we cannot take in
For the safety of the women and children asleep in the house, we cannot accept a violent criminal history or any offense against a child. This is not a judgment about your worth — it is a promise we have made to them.
You need a higher level of care
A medical or psychiatric condition that needs more care than a residential home can safely provide, a physical limitation that would keep you from taking part, or ongoing aggression toward others means another setting will serve you better. We will help you find it.
A few things to know before you come
None of this is a hurdle to clear before you call. It is simply what life here is like, so you can picture it.
- Life here is hands-on. You will learn and share the ordinary work of a home — cooking for yourself and the group, chores, grocery shopping, laundry — because independence is the whole point.
- The first thirty days are quiet. Contact with the outside world is limited for your first month, so you can find your footing. Visitation opens in stages after that, worked out with you during intake.
- We will help you get here. Tell us what you need — we coordinate transportation for admission, and go beyond the basics wherever we can.