Family Fest returns to UW-Whitewater the first week of October, and a local nonprofit organization hopes to show the community how important family is to them. Since being founded in 1994, Bethel House has provided support to children and families in Whitewater, being a vital safety net by offering financial assistance, transitional housing and support services.
The organization began when a Whitewater family practice doctor, Dr. Ken Kidd, found out that his patient lived in a camper throughout the winter with her two young children. She didn’t have enough money for the first month’s rent and a security deposit despite working. With the help of the other founding members Jim Winship, Dick Triebold, Don Triebold, Carole Scharinger, Richard Telfer, Mark Olm, and six partner churches in the area, they were able to house their first family. 30 years later, Bethel House continues to provide support to community members.
“I started here at the end of December 2024, so I’ve been in this role for almost a year. I oversee all of our programs. I do all of our grant writing, and right now we have six families in our homes,” said executive director Angeline Doman.
In 2024, 70 local families received financial assistance, 39 people participated in their transitional housing program, and 24 evictions were prevented by their emergency assistance support.
“I’ve been here for a month at Bethel House, but I am currently in my last semester studying social work at UW-Whitewater. My field liaison introduced me to the director. We hit it off and I loved it here,” said intern Joneek Griggs. “It’s gratifying helping all of the locals with finding housing. We’re currently figuring out donations, so it’s amazing getting to do that.”
The year-long transitional housing program utilizes seven homes in the city of Whitewater to temporarily house families. The program requires participants to actively participate in an extensive case management program that provides support to create a base level financial stability and addresses the issues that caused homelessness.
Bethel House’s emergency assistance program provides one-time financial support to help keep children and families housed.
Case management and referral services are also offered, such as Section 8 housing applications, FoodShare/SNAP applications, government phones, BadgerCare/Medicaid, and many more.
The toiletry pantry located in the Bethel House office offers the community free items. The availability of items depends on the donations received but typically include toilet paper, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, laundry detergent, and more.
Volunteering is a crucial part of the work done at Bethel House .Volunteer work has helped stock the toiletry pantry as well as prepare homes for new families to move in.
“Bethel House has always been a baby to Whitewater. It’s like the heart of Whitewater. I feel like a lot of people very much appreciate the work Bethel House does, so it’s been great being a part of that and seeing that firsthand. Being able to make a difference in local families’ lives and situations and watching them grow from our programs has been great,” said Doman. “In the future, I hope we continue to build deeper community connections and stronger connections with local partnerships and surrounding towns – spread the word and help more families basically.”
For more information, visit bethelhouseinc.org.