January 2024

A New Year Begins

The year just past was a challenging one in many respects. The cost of living has been on the rise and nearly everyone has felt its impact. Wages have been on the rise but have fallen behind the rise in the cost of living.  Has that impacted you? Each of us is affected in different ways, but most of us have given at least some thought to both the short-term and long-term impact of the disparity between the cost of living and wages.
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Moms with few job skills, life skills and financial literacy have really been struggling.  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the annual livable wage for a single individual in Dallas, Texas, the home of Mercy's Shore, is more than $39,000. To earn that amount of income requires that one work 40 hours per week and earn $18.75 per hour.  If a couple of children are added to the mix, the cost goes up dramatically.  A criminal record and no substantial job skills or experience only diminishes the likelihood of being hired at minimum wage let alone a livable wage.

What can be done?

At Mercy's Shore, we believe providing housing without more is a disservice. Yes, everyone needs to have a place to live, but that only addresses the here and now. What about next month, next year, and, more importantly, the next generation? If the next generation does not see their mother adequately providing for them and simply struggling every day, they, too, will likely face the same as adults. Suitable housing is critical, no doubt. If no provision is made to assist moms gain marketable skills, in 12-months time, they will be in the same position in which they currently find themselves. Moms want more for their family. If given a chance, encouraged and held accountable, they can prosper.

It is no great revelation to report that education, whether academic or vocational, is the key to the future of those who will otherwise struggle. Employers hire people who can contribute to the profitability of their business. At Mercy's Shore we address the here and now of participants in the program by providing a safe place to live, life skills training in financial literacy, parenting, Bible study, critical thinking, anger management, conflict resolution, and a 12-step recovery program.  We also plan for the future by assessing each participant's vocational and academic aptitude and interest. But we don't stop there! We direct them and provide resources to capitalize on their aptitudes and interests. Will all of them be successful in the pursuit of education or vocational training? Simply put, No! But failing to provide the participants with the opportunity to pursue training or education, will assure a future of struggle for them and for the next generation, and the next...
 
A Very Generous Community Surrounds Us
      It all started with a "paper sack and a good idea." It was in June, 2020, when Mercy's Shore was incorporated and the following November it received its Determination Letter of tax-exempt status from the IRS. What a joyous time for all of us interested in serving children and their previously incarcerated moms. Anyone who has started a new enterprise understands the challenges of doing so. That is especially true of nonprofits.
     If a new bakery is started, the tangible products in the display cabinets include donuts, apple fritters, cakes, pies and all manner of baked goods act as a sirens song. My mouth waters as I think about all the sweet delights. They are all hard to resist, so we quickly surrender to the heart's desire.  


     We all have to eat in order to live, but none of us has to support a nonprofit organization whose purpose it is to help folks who have made some bad decisions which have caught up with them. The truth is, most of us have been blessed with a roof over our head, food in our belly and clothes on our back. We feel pretty independent and without any need to seek help from others to meet the basic needs of life. We are "self-made" successes, or so we think.

     Mercy's Shore is dependent on the grace and generosity of individuals, churches, foundations and businesses to sustain it. In the time since its founding, Mercy's Shore has been blessed by a number of people in the community who have understood its mission. We have raised enough money to open the doors of the ministry. That does not mean we have raised all of the funds we need to sustain ourselves for the long-term, that is an ongoing task, but we can pay our one paid employee, rent, utilities, etc. now as we continue to raise funds.

      Who are those people who have taken out of their own pockets to support Mercy's Shore and those we will serve? Here are a few examples: a missionary who serves in a restricted country, a retired state employee, the executive director of another nonprofit, attorneys, physicians, a county sheriff, pastors, and many others. Some of the gifts have been the "widow's mite" while others, relatively speaking, have been a king's ransom. We are grateful to each of you who have made gifts, large or small.

     Please consider how you might begin or continue to support Mercy's Shore in this New Year. Remember. on any given day, there are about 20,000 women in Texas prisons and county jails. Roughly 40% of those women have children in the age range we serve (birth to 12 years of age). When they are released from jail or prison, their past will follow them. Unlike you and me, they will not have a roof over their head, food in their belly or clothes on their back. Whether your gift to Mercy's Shore is a "widow's mite" or a "king's ransom", it will make a big difference.

So, What is Our Greatest Need?
Earlier in this newsletter, you read that we have raised enough funds to "open the doors." That is true, but the problem is the doors. We have spent a good part of the fall searching for an apartment complex whose owners will consider having Mercy's Shore as a tenant. Mercy's Shore will be the tenant using the apartments we rent for the participants in the program. We will be responsible for the payment of the rent and the supervision of the participants in the program and their children on the property. The screening process for the participants will be stringent. As you recall, the participants are children and their previously incarcerated moms. Therein lies the rub.

Landlords are reticent to have people on their property who have a criminal past. In fact, though Mercy's Shore will be responsible for paying the rent and utilities, many landlords will not even return our phone calls if they know who we serve. When we are able to schedule a tour of the property, we are always candid about our plan for the use of the property and who our constituents are. Almost always, the leasing agent immediately furrows their eyebrow and advises they will have to speak to their boss and the owner and call me back. You guessed it. They rarely call back.

So, what is our greatest need? Our greatest need is to secure six (6) one bedroom/one bath apartments in a single, small apartment complex, preferably in East Dallas. We will use four (4) of the apartments for program participant families, one for an office, and one for a resident manager who will conduct curfew each evening and be available by phone over the weekend. Each of the apartments will be furnished with furniture which has already been donated or which will be donated as we move forward.

If you own or know someone who owns such an apartment complex and would be willing to speak with us about the possibilities of working out an arrangement for Mercy's Shore to rent, we would be eternally grateful. You can reach me by text, email, or phone. Douglas Dunn, (214) 673-5836, [email protected].

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