About Bethel House

History

In the spring of 1993, a family practice doctor in Whitewater, Wisconsin, found out that one of his patients, a single parent with two young children, had spent the winter living in a camper.  While she was working, she did not have the money for a security deposit and first month’s rent for an apartment.  He set out to see what could be done about this, starting in his church.  Almost two years later, Bethel House, a faith-based ecumenical non-profit, housed its first family.  

Bethel House started with a house and a duplex leased from the large Methodist church.  Later an anonymous donor generously allowed Bethel House to use three of his properties.  In 2015, our anonymous donor informed us that he needed to sell the properties, so Bethel House lost three of our homes.  We launched a Capital Campaign to raise money to purchase one single-family home and one duplex.  The Methodist church also let us use an additional house.  This brought us up to seven homes.   
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Six local churches originally agreed to support Bethel House, and nine churches now participate in the mission.  United Way funding accounts for 18% of the $106,000 budget.  Bethel House is also supported financially by the Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, and other organizations, university groups, businesses, and individuals.  Bethel House participates in three annual fundraisers: a spring quilt raffle, a fall dinner and wine pairing, and the Discover Whitewater Series.  

Governing Churches

​Community of Christ the Servant
Congregational Church U.C.C.
Crosspointe Community Church
First English Lutheran Church
First United Methodist Church
LaGrange United Methodist Church
Living Word Fellowship
St. Patrick's Catholic Church
Richmond United Methodist Church

Meet our Executive Director

​Kristy Weinberg accepted the position of Executive Director of Bethel House in 2010. Prior to that Kristy worked as a Case Manager at an emergency shelter in Waukesha County. Kristy graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, majoring in both social work and psychology. Since then she keeps up to date on current research in social work, with a special interest in the psychological impacts of homelessness. She is committed to advocacy and passionate about preserving the dignity of those in crisis. Kristy understands that it can be difficult to ask for help and she aims to treat everyone with compassion.
Kristy is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Social Work. She is an aspiring minimalist and enjoys cooking, hiking, watching Stephen Colbert, and spending time with family.