Faith and Housing

Join faith leaders for a conversation about how congregations can use their voice and assets to support affordable housing.

Moderated by Rev. Michele Engh of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Viroqua, this panel features Rev. Breanna Illéné, Director of Ecumenical Innovation and Justice Initiatives at the Wisconsin Council of Churches, Rev. Peter Beeson, CEO and Founder of Realize, LLC, Beth Piggush, Integral Ecology Director and Laudato Si Promoter at Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Learn more about our presenters below.

Panelists will discuss faith communities’ role in supporting affordable housing. This can take many forms, from advocacy to real estate development. All are welcome to join this discussion and explore the many ways congregations and people of faith can take action during our current housing crisis. Thank you to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration for hosting this event.

RSVP below to attend in person, or use this link to join via Zoom.

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About Rev. Peter Beeson: Rev. Peter Beeson is the founder of Realize: Real Estate as Ministry. As an ELCA pastor with a passion for leveraging church owned real estate for social good and community flourishing he’s led multiple congregations through capital campaigns and successful redevelopments of their buildings, including most recently a decision by a congregation to tear down an existing sanctuary and replace it with ten with 130 units of affordable housing plus vibrant worship and community space. He holds a Masters of Real Estate Development from Iowa State University and a Masters of Divinity from the Berkeley School of Theology.

About Rev. Michele Engh: I serve Immanuel Lutheran Church in Viroqua as Pastor, which is the latest chapter in my story. I started my first career in healthcare in the Denver, Colorado area and know firsthand how important access to healthcare is to rural communities.  After working as a nurse, I raised children, volunteering for community organizations and renovating 100-year-old homes.  I returned to the workforce working for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Western UP of Michigan and Violence Prevention Education through the State of Michigan.  In 2007, I relocated to Westby, working in Flood Recovery and Housing at Couleecap.  This led to working with Vernon County in Community Development.  I followed my heart and started working for Westby Coon Prairie Church in 2015, as their Faith Formation Director while I attended seminary.  I care about the community’s health and have served in many roles including chair of the Gogebic Range Suicide Prevention, Crisis Response, and past president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers Board of Directors as well as being a foster parent.  Currently I serve as the Vice Chair of Couleecap Board of Directors, Secretary of Bethel Home and the Vernon Memorial Board of Directors, founding member of Kickapoo Conversations,  as well as serving on the Anti Racism Task Force and Migrant Justice for the La Crosse Area Synod.  I contributed to the publication “Pulling Together, a Handbook of Community Change” that was released in March, 2025. I am married to Pete of Westby, and we have 5 children and 1 grandchild.

About Rev. Breanna Illéné: Rev. Breanna Illéné is the Director of Ecumenical Innovation and Justice Initiatives at the Wisconsin Council of Churches, where one of her roles is to equip congregations to engage in advocacy as people of faith at local and state levels. One of the WCC’s areas of focus is housing advocacy and they have helped plan 3 housing summits across the state, shared stories of congregations using their buildings to meet housing and other community needs, and helped connect people to resources. Outside of her job, Breanna is a board member of the Eastmorland Community Center, a newly developed community center that is being developed inside of a church’s redevelopment project to turn their old building into a community center and housing. She lives in Madison with her spouse, 2 kids, and pitbull.

About Beth Piggush: Beth Piggush’s  vocations are as a mother and wife. She is working for harmony in this busy world while raising three spicey, smart and powerful daughters. When she is not with her family you can find her working as the Integral Ecology Director for the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. There her position is always evolving, leading efforts centered around climate action, promoting land justice and supporting care for all of God’s creation. Beth leads the congregation’s commitment to the Laudato Si Action Platform and justice issues. She thrives on team building, strengthening relationships, and sharing her enthusiasm for the interconnectedness of people and planet. Beth has a long and deep history of working on sustainability and renewable energy programs. Specifically Beth was the Education and Workforce Development Manager at the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, where she initiated programs for solar thermal and solar photovoltaic training with the Connecticut Community College System and the Connecticut Technical High School System. In addition she managed K-12 and museum based curriculum initiatives on behalf of the Fund. She was a registered LEED AP, focused on green schools for place-based learning and is an Interstate Renewable Energy Council registered auditor. Prior to starting her work with FSPA, Beth was the school garden coordinator, a volunteer grant writer for Catholic Schools and served as an adjunct instructor at a local university. Then her daughters got bigger and went to school full time, so she started to look for a job. Fortunately, she found a great fit, where she could talk about her faith and climate action.