AUSTIN, Texas, March 31, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The ground-breaking ceremony for "Grace House," a new assisted living facility providing medical and daily assisted care to elderly residents, was held last week in Bercy, Haiti, about 28 miles north of Port au Prince.
The Haitian government donated land and requested Mission of Hope, Haiti (MOH) build the facility as part of a strategic effort to address the need for elderly care in the impoverished nation.
"The elderly in Haiti are often abandoned and forgotten in their old age and face increased hardships. There are very few facilities or resources to help care for them," says Brad Johnson, President of MOH, Haiti.
The new facility will house up to 40 elderly residents, with facilities including a medical exam room, cafeteria, living quarters, a common living area, and a guest room for visiting family members.
MOH, Haiti partnered with some U.S. churches, including Rio Vista Community Church in Ft. Lauderdale and Watermark in Dallas, to fund "Grace House" which will be occupied by residents by the end of the year.
"When MOH asked us to partner with them on the 'Grace House' for the elderly, we knew right away we wanted to help," says Patrick Kibler, member of Rio Vista Community Church. "The elderly in Haiti need physical and spiritual restoration in a loving community. After learning so much from the Haitian people during our recent trips there, the 'Grace House' is our opportunity to give back."
Plans are already under way for a Phase 2 project, which will increase capacity to 80 residents.
About Mission of Hope, Haiti:
Mission of Hope feeds over 90,000 children per day in partnership with Convoy of Hope and Feed My Starving Children, educates over 6,000 students on 13 campuses, and sees over 28,000 people per year in its onsite clinic and weekly mobile medical clinics that go into 11 villages. Now with four campuses and over 400 full-time Haitian employees, MOH has just completed an 8400 square foot training center and is now building a technical school and a sports complex.
For media inquiries or interviews, contact Bridget Henderson 512-963-2733/bridget@mohhaiti.org.
A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=31793
