Welcome to Mercy Home
Janice M. Aris, MSW, MS
Executive Director
Thank you for stopping by! I am Janice M. Aris, Executive Director of Mercy Home. I am an experienced leader in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities and have dedicated my career to improving social services for some of New York City’s most vulnerable individuals through advocacy, deep compassion and creativity in response to their human needs, particularly as a champion for people with special needs.
Mercy Home is a non-profit human services agency dedicated to delivering quality service to the individuals entrusted into our care. We envision a world of fairness and equality in which people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live more fully integrated within the community. We work to change the world’s view of those we serve as we help them discover their individual gifts and abilities, and we seek to promote greater compassion and understanding of those people who make up our community. Our dedicated and experienced professionals support with individualized care to those in our residential and support programs.
We provide essential services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Mercy Home’s mission is to ensure the quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities through the recognition of each person’s inherent dignity and right to a life filled with learning and love. Our mission is fulfilled in practice through our core values: Care, Compassion, Respect, Teamwork, and Trust.
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Our History
Mercy Home, founded in 1862, first served homeless children. Five boys orphaned by a fire, appeared on the convent steps seeking safety. In 1883, the children’s wing was completed, providing a safe and loving environment for 600 individuals.
By 1976, we began to focus on the needs of developmentally disabled children, establishing a long-term residential care facility. In 1977, we established the first Developmental Therapy Unit in New York City for children with autism spectrum disorder. In 1978, Mercy Home opened our first residential facility in Red Hook, Brooklyn, followed by 12 more over the next 30 years – each one providing individualized care in a community setting.