Since 1985, our mission statement has been “Tender Mercies transforms the lives of homeless adults with mental illness by providing security, dignity and community in a place they call home.”
In 2022, Tender Mercies engaged its Board of Trustees, staff, and residents in a comprehensive discussion to create a new 10-year strategic plan. Following guidance from all stakeholders, Tender Mercies is proud to unveil its vision for transforming the lives of people in Greater Cincinnati experiencing both homelessness and mental illness.
This story and more await you. Read more in our 2023 Annual Report
Over the last decade, strategic fundraising, investments and partnerships have given us the ability to serve a larger share of Hamilton County’s population experiencing homelessness. Because of those strategic moves, Tender Mercies is redefining its mission while remaining true to its vision, core values, and unwavering principles. With the evolution of new national best practices in caring for the population we serve, coupled with a growing drug epidemic, the landscape of what we do and how we provide the best service to our clients has changed. It is our responsibility to adjust to meet those needs.
What Tender Mercies does will be changing only in that it will be expanding its capacities.
How Tender Mercies accomplishes that will remain theoretical, temporarily, as we align resources and stakeholders to ensure the success of each additional or expanded program. The wellbeing of every resident and staff member is and always will be priority number one at Tender Mercies, and so these changes are not taken lightly.
Moving forward, the mission of Tender Mercies is stated as:
“Tender Mercies transforms the lives of homeless adults with mental illness by providing a community where residents can achieve their highest level of well-being.”
This new emphasis on ensuring each residents achieves their highest level of independence underscores and calls out the principle we’ve always lived by: that progress means something different to each individual; however it transforms our narrative for residents by acknowledging that independence looks different for everyone as well. Put simply: Tender Mercies is rededicating itself to the principle of “from each according to their ability, to each according to their need.” Tender Mercies, with our new mission statement, is acknowledging our abilities are great; that we can do more; and therefore, we are.
