JANESVILLE, Wis. —Mercyhealth’s House of Mercy Homeless Center is celebrating 25 years of serving the community.

The House of Mercy, which provides short-term emergency shelter to single women and families, opened in Janesville in 1996.

Since that time, more than 8,000 individuals, half of whom were children under the age of 5, have been given a safe, warm place to sleep, as well as financial assistance for housing, tenant education, transportation, child care and prescription co-pays, and more. A social worker helps residents develop an action plan for future success.

“In 1996 we opened our doors to homeless single women and families providing 30 days of emergency shelter. Sadly, homelessness remains a significant pain point and has become a public health crisis in the Stateline region,” said Tammie King-Johnson, Manager of the House of Mercy. “We never imagined that a lack of safe and affordable housing would spiral out of control contributing to hundreds of families becoming homeless each year. The pandemic has only intensified this, while challenging our staff and community not only to persevere, but to become more innovative in how we support those in jeopardy of becoming homeless and those who unfortunately already are.”

The House of Mercy Homeless Center, 320 Lincoln St., Janesville, is operated by Mercyhealth. It is one of the only health system-operated homeless centers in the nation. To learn more about the House of Mercy, call (608) 754-0045 or visit mercyhealthsystem.org/house-of-mercy.