La Madonna Della Strada / Our Lady of the Streets was founded by Sister Grace Miller with a passion for helping those in need who work tirelessly to provide emergency shelter services, transitional housing programs, and supportive services to the homeless population in Rochester. By helping our most vulnerable citizens, we believe that a city becomes stronger overall. Our commitment to compassion and advocacy drives everything we do, and we are proud to make a positive impact on our community.

"This is a place of last resort," said Sister Miller. "When they have no place to go, we'll keep them."

"The House of Mercy has always been … a point of referral," with staff serving as de facto case managers. "Once you get to know the people, our resources are the resources of the community. Every effort is made to see if you can't match them with something made available to an individual based on their needs. There's no point in housing these people beyond giving them proper shelter if you can't do what's necessary for them as a next step."

Many of the house's clients need a facilitator to help them with something as simple as getting an identification card, navigating confusing paperwork or sticking to a schedule of appointments. They also are referred to other agencies for substance-abuse treatment or mental-health services. The house has informal partnerships with University of Rochester medical students to provide medical treatment and with county social workers to find such resources as employment or housing for residents.