Citing financial difficulties, Rochester’s Mercy Community Services — a ministry operated by the Sisters of Mercy that comprises Mercy Outreach Center and Mercy Residential Services — is closing at the end of May, according to a statement by the Sisters of Mercy New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Community.
Mercy Outreach Center, located at 142 Webster Ave., Rochester, supports uninsured and underinsured adults through volunteer practitioners who provide health services, screening and advocacy for 350 people annually. Mercy Residential Services, located at 2763 Culver Road, Rochester, supports young mothers with transitional and emergency housing services, serving 90 women and 85 children per year.
"Sadly, financial concerns prevent Mercy Community Services from continuing its ministry," Sister Patricia Prinzing, vice president of the New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Community, said in a May 24 statement.
"Unfortunately, during a climate of shifting priorities in human services and being tasked to do more with less funding, the viability of many small nonprofits are threatened," added Nikisha Johnson, executive director of Mercy Community Services, in explaining that the ministry was no longer self-sustaining.
The Sisters of Mercy also announced that it will continue operating the ministry’s Catherine McAuley Apartments, which provides longer-term residence options for women with children.
