This booklet was published for the 1986 Centennial of the U.S. Settlement Movement by United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA). In addition to being a history of the settlement movement over a period of one hundred years, it includes valuable references and sources of additional information about settlements. The author, Margaret E. Berry, was a former director of the National Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, the predecessor of UNCA
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Origins of the Settlement House Movement
Excerpt from “Legacy of Light: University Settlement’s First Century” by Jeffrey Scheuer. “The initial idea was simply to bring the working classes into contact with other classes…and thus to share the culture of university life with those who needed it most. An accompanying theme was that of nurturing the whole person…”
Continue Reading »Social Work in Divisive Times: Navigating Dual Roles Across Eras and Movements
Social work is often celebrated for its commitment to social justice, aiding vulnerable populations, and driving societal change. Yet, this narrative too frequently fails to grapple with the darker elements of the profession’s past—namely, the instances where it has caused harm to those it intended to help. Throughout its history, social work has not only offered support and advocacy but has also, at times, played a role in perpetuating injustices and societal harms.
Continue Reading »Nurses Settlement, Richmond, VA – Handbook of Settlements (1911)
RICHMOND – THE NURSES SETTLEMENT 201 East Cary Street (August, 1909 -) Note: This description of the Nurses Settlement in Richmond, VA is from the Handbook of Settlements written by two settlement house pioneers: Robert Archey Woods and Albert J. Kennedy. The book included the findings of a national survey of all the known settlements in existence in 1910 and…
Continue Reading »Third Street Music School Settlement
Founded in 1894, Third Street has helped to establish community arts education in the United States. The School traces its roots to the late 19th century settlement house movement. It was the unique inspiration of Third Street founder Emilie Wagner to make high quality music instruction the centerpiece of a community settlement house that would also provide social services to the immigrant population of the Lower East Side.
Continue Reading »Settlement Workers of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD
This original list of settlement houses serving neighborhoods in Baltimore was probably published sometime between 1912 -1915. It briefly describes the many ways early settlement house residents and volunteers provided facilities and resources in order to assist recent immigrants and very poor families to play, socialize, learn a variety of skills, save money, organize and take steps to improve their lives and the communities in which they lived. The document was contributed by Harris Chaiklin, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
Continue Reading »Mary McDowell Settlement (1961)
Service Report. “The purpose for which the corporation is formed is to provide a center for educational and philanthropic work and social services; to engage in and pursue such activities at such places and in such manner as may be necessary and desirable, not including the care of neglected and dependent children.”
Continue Reading »Settlements and Neighborhood Centers
“The settlements and Neighborhood Centers are multifunctional agencies, which exist to serve the social needs of persons in given geographical neighborhoods—the neighborhood is their “client.” It provides: (1) Informal Educational and Recreational Services, (2) Neighborhood Services, and (3) Personal Services.”
Continue Reading »Heritage from Chicago’s Early Settlement Houses (1967)
Article by Louise C. Wade. “Close cooperation with neighborhood people, scientific studies of the causes of poverty and dependence, communication of the facts to the public, and persistent pressure for reforms that would “socialize democracy”—these were the objectives of the most vigorous American settlements. According to one worker, the three R’s of the movement were residence, research, and reform.”
Continue Reading »Chicago’s Early Settlement Houses Heritage
“The Heritage from Chicago’s Early Settlement Houses: 1967,” by Louis C. Wade. “The contrast between progress and poverty in American life was obvious in the 1880s and glaring by the 1890s. Violent confrontations like the Haymarket riot and the Homestead and Pullman strikes served to illuminate the dangerous chasm, which separated the very rich from the very poor.”
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