Speakers

At Mercy Housing & Human Development we hear this question almost every day. One of our main goals is to help low-income families become first time homeowners. We believe that people have a basic right to safe, affordable shelter, and that homeownership empowers communities and the families who live there. We believe sustainability is the key.

Currently, these are the programs we offer; though we are always evolving as the needs of our community continue to change.

Homebuyer Education

Provides education and tools to low-wealth families to enable them to obtain a mortgage loan to purchase their first homes. Not only are they given the opportunity to own a home, they are taught how to keep it. We also provide credit counseling, money management, and loss mitigation counseling. Foreclosure prevention is currently one of our highest priorities and we are proud of our 99.8% non-foreclosure rate with families who have participated in our programs.

EITC Program/VITA

Since 2009, MHHD has partnered with the IRS and the South MS Coalition to bring free tax preparation services to the community. IRS-trained volunteers provide this service to qualified clients across the MS Gulf Coast.

In 2015 alone Mercy Housing's contribution included 448 accepted tax returns and $850,018 in refunds. Since our program's inception, MHHD has helped to keep over Three Million Dollars in the pockets of the tax payers and in our community.  Every year, we have seen the number of clients increase, thus enabling MHHD to make more of a positive financial impact with each tax season.

Community Health Advocacy

A program designed to improve the health indices of the Vietnamese American commercial fishing community through health screenings, doctor visits and ACA Navigation with the assistance of an interpreter. Our community health worker's main focus is helping the Vietnamese community navigate the insurance and medical system as a translator and liaison between doctors and Vietnamese patients.

Estate Planning Workshop