The MAC Home officially opened its doors to the Merrill community on Mar. 4, 2019. Since that time, the MAC Home has served 228 clients and provided 2,777 safe nights of shelter to men, women, and children who otherwise would have nowhere else to sleep. Just this year, the MAC Home has provided 295 safe nights of shelter to those in need.
The MAC Home has evolved from being a warming center and transitional living facility to a day center/warming center and transitional living.
“Our warming center initially was intended to be used from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., but when COVID-19 hit, our community and many businesses and agencies needed to close or limit access, MAC Home opened our warming center for clients to stay during the day,” said Theresa Anthoney, Executive Director of the MAC Home. “This gave clients a safe place to be and helped minimize the spread of COVID-19.”
“For the MAC Home, this also meant additional cost of staffing, cleaning supplies, supplies for clients, food for clients, utility bills, and other unexpected costs,” she said. Anthoney explained that “the Merrill community hasn’t been plagued with the homeless population that sleeps on the street or are found on park benches.”
“Instead,” she said, “we have a ‘hidden homeless’ problem. The ‘hidden homeless’ are people who stay with friends or family for short periods of time, then move on to the next friend or family member and stay with them. In this community, people even lived in their cars.”
Anthoney said the MAC Home networks with many other local agencies to help everyone to successfully reach their goals of obtaining and sustaining independent living.
For more information about the MAC Home, call Theresa Anthoney at 715.722.1200. The MAC Home is located at 407 W. Main St. in Merrill. Donations can be mailed to: MAC Home, PO Box 324, Merrill, WI 54452