Heritage House Children’s Home, San Saba, Texas
Heritage House for Children is a passion of Dr. James Mercer. Growing up as an orphan himself, he knows how children feel when they don’t have a forever home.
Dr. Mercer stated the reason he chose San Saba for Heritage House Children’s Home is because San Saba is a caring community. People here reach out to each other and care for one another.
The opening of the Heritage House Children’s Home was postponed from June to December of this year due to a tremendous amount of damage caused by vandals. Because of that setback, there is much work to do, and many more expenses have been incurred. Dr. Mercer said it was very disheartening to see the building after all the vandalism. The walls were torn up, glass was broken, spray paint was on the building. However, because of his passion for these kids who so very much need to be loved, he has pressed on to the goal of opening the facility before the end of the year.
At present, these children are staying in hotels because there is no where else for them to go. Dr. Mercer said, “They need to be loved, wanted, and appreciated in a community that cares about them. Stability is what they desperately need. In Scripture, is clearly says to care for widows and orphans.”
One reason Dr. Mercer has such a burden in his heart for these children is because he was in the foster care system and was never adopted. He said, “I know what it feels like to not feel wanted. I want them to find their happily ever after.”
I asked Dr. Mercer to talk more about the goal and mission of the Children’s Home. He said it will be a place where children are safe. It is intended to be a shortterm place and not a life-long ‘orphanage.’ The goal is to ideally be able to return the children to their parents or close family. But sadly, in many cases that is not possible. In those instances, the goal is to place the children in certified foster homes with caring families. Heritage House will work with families to help them get certified to foster.
Heritage House is already staffed with medical doctors, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, and therapists. He noted they can use more nurses, kitchen help, direct care staff, and facilities and maintenance staff. Dr. Mercer stated the state will fund 20% of what is needed to run Heritage House.
To help raise money for the project, a fundraiser was held at The Father’s House Youth Center on Saturday, August 20th. They served fried fish and all the trimmings to the over 50 people who attended. Dr. Mercer said, “Tom Brand of The Father’s House allowed us to use their facility to spread the word and inform others about the facts about foster care.” Unfortunately, some in the community have fears about having foster kids coming to their town and possibly attending the schools. Dr. Mercer said, “the focal point should be - what can we do for them? How can we make a difference? Give them a chance in life that was taken from them at an early age. There is no greater gift than to care for a child.” He reiterated that this is not intended to be a long-term solution for the children, but a temporary place for them until they are returned to their family or taken in by a foster family.
Thankfully, most of the messages Dr. Mercer has received about this new venture in San Saba have been encouraging.
Because of the recent vandalism, they can use volunteers to help with carpentry, painting, etc. They need sponsors and donors. Dr. Mercer noted that those who help can have their name engraved on a brick as a thank you for helping.
If you can help in any way or have questions about Heritage House Children’s Home, Dr. Mercer said to feel free to contact him directly on his cell – 254-421-4774.