A Letter from Mercy Housing’s President & CEO — Ismael Guerrero

Mercy Housing is an organization committed to social justice. We do not believe our mission allows us to sit quietly during times of unrest and change, anger and hope. We stand by our Core Values of Respect, Justice, and Mercy. We respect the right to free speech and the right to peaceful demonstrations. For the residents and communities we are committed to serving – people who are not in positions of power or privilege – these are often the only means by which to make their voices heard.

We strongly condemn the actions that we witnessed yesterday at the nation’s Capitol.  Mercy Housing views the actions of a small number of elected officials, and the demonstrators who violently stormed federal buildings, as another attempt to disenfranchise the citizens of this country by negating the most fundamental right of this country; the right to vote and have a voice in our democracy.

While yesterday was a dark day for American democracy, today we can celebrate — our federal elected officials came together in bipartisan condemnation of the acts of violence, while fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities to certify the election results. We expect and demand a peaceful transition to the new administration in a couple of weeks. At Mercy Housing, our commitment is to continue our work advancing social justice and racial equity through company and community initiatives. In leading by example, we will be the change we wish to see in the world. We look forward to continuing this work in 2021 with our staff, residents, partners, and public officials.

Yours in hope,

Ismael Guerrero

PRESIDENT & CEO