The Merced County Rescue Mission expects to break ground on its new five-acre “Village of Hope” campus sometime in August.
Phase One of this project will include a 32-bed “Hope Medical Respite Care” building where Mercy Medical Center Merced can discharge people who are homeless for a period of recuperation. The Respite Care building has been funded through a generous 2.5-million-dollar grant from Central California Alliance for Health and a generous 837-thousand-dollar grant from Dignity Health. The Respite Care program has been operated by the Mission in houses during the past six years and has made a significant positive difference in the lives of men and women whose health has been compromised from exposure to the elements while living on the street. Over 50% of the people who utilize the respite care program do not return to the street but are able to be placed in housing. Also included in Phase One will be a ten-unit apartment building for Veterans who are homeless and a ten-unit apartment building for families with young children who are homeless.
The apartment will provide transitional living and will be funded through New Market Tax Credits, forgivable Federal Bank Loans, and other grants yet to be identified. Phase One is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.
Phase Two of the “Village of Hope” campus will include a 32-bed men’s facility for the Mission’s faith-based, “Hope for Men” program and a 20-bed women’s facility for the “Hope for Women” program. In addition, Phase Two will also include a 20-bed facility for pregnant women who are homeless and a building that will house classrooms, a chapel, and offices. Phase Two portion of the “Village of Hope” campus will be funded through gifts from individuals, churches, and organizations that support the faith-based work of the Mission.
