Mercy Center was founded in 1990 in response to the needs of parents living in its inner city neighborhood. It was originally established as a counseling and support center to help women deal with stresses in their lives and offer them a chance for successful growth and development. Under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Mercy of New York, it soon established parenting classes, mentoring opportunities and women’s support groups to help parents meet the challenges they were facing. In subsequent years, it added a menu of programs and opportunities in response to the articulated needs of the women and families it came to serve.

Core to the philosophy at Mercy Center is a belief that it is not effective to simply provide one service and ignore the other needs of an individual or community. Job training alone is insufficient for low-income women to develop skills, confidence and the expertise necessary to enter the workplace and achieve financial independence. The integrated approach of "Employment-Yes!" which includes individual assessment, goal setting, counseling and social services, is distinctive at Mercy Center and yields a relational framework for successful development of self-sufficient individuals who are leaders in their communities.