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YLS Special Issue
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PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN
By Katy Sikich and Tricia A. Rooney
Mercy Home for Boys and Girls
Helping Youth in Crisis Since 1887
M
ercy Home for Boys & Girls
has been a solution for youth in
crisis since 1887 and currently
serves more than 600 young people each
year. Mercy Home operates at three loca-
tions in Chicago: in Chicago’s West Loop,
the campus serves primarily as a home for
boys; a home for girls on the far South Side
Beverly-Morgan Park community; and a
home on the South Shore for former youth
residents in transition who benefit from
supportive housing to prevent returning
to or falling into homelessness.
Through its residential, aftercare, and
mentoring programs, Mercy Home offers a
safe home, therapeutic healing, and educa-
tion and career resources to help its young
people make positive life decisions and
allow them to realize their full potential.
The organization also assist many families
with referrals to qualified social services
throughout greater Chicago if they present
needs that would be more appropriately
addressed elsewhere.
At the heart of Mercy Home’s services
are residential treatment programs for
youth ages 11 to 24. The children and
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017