The Settlement Movement
History of the Settlement Movement
The settlement movement began in 19th century England in response to rising unemployment and widespread poverty. At the time, there were nearly 3 million Londoners who were without jobs, while those who were employed worked in “sweat shops” that paid low wages and required long hours. The city’s slums were growing fast and approximately 30% of all London residents lived below the poverty level. Seeing these conditions, religious leaders established neighborhood welfare centers dedicated to addressing the needs of the poor. The centers recruited workers to live on site as "settlers" and develop a range of public programs. These welfare workers assisted England’s poorest residents with job training, child care, education, and other services; they also developed the concept of social work as it is known today. The welfare centers were the first Settlement Houses and represented the start of a movement that would eventually expand across the world.
The concept of Settlement Houses spread to America via pioneers such as Stanton Coit and Jane Addams. Coit founded the first U.S. settlement, Neighborhood Guild, in 1886 to serve new immigrant populations on the lower east side of New York City. Addams followed by founding Hull House, perhaps the most well-known of all Settlement Houses, on the west side of Chicago in 1889. Both houses employed the traditional settlement philosophy - a holistic approach to neighborhood improvement and a belief that social change comes through indigenous leaders and organizations. In this way, settlements differed from other social service agencies of their time and played a key role in addressing the issues facing local neighborhoods.
The success of the Neighborhood Guild and the Hull House led to an explosion of settlements throughout the country. By 1910, there were more than 400 settlements located in the U.S., each working to improve education, joblessness, and overall quality of life for the nation’s poor. While this was positive in terms of addressing the needs of the community, it led to significant overlap of services. As a result, federations were created to coordinate the efforts of Settlement Houses and help them to deliver services more effectively and efficiently. The Columbus Federation of Settlements is a byproduct of this thinking.
Settlements of Today
Contemporary Settlement House workers no longer live on site and many Settlement Houses have changed their names to 'community center' or 'neighborhood house' to reflect the fact that they are settlements-without-residents. Still, Settlement Houses continue their long history of being integral to and embedded in their communities. Settlement Houses continue to be distinguishable from other social service agencies, not by the type of services they provide but by their holistic approach to strengthening neighborhoods and families. Settlement Houses develop services and activities in concert with the needs and interests of a broad cross-section of citizens--not only those with specific problems--within a geographically defined area. Because of the close relationship with their communities, Settlement Houses often serve as resources for other community agencies by identifying social trends that create barriers to healthy living and suggesting solutions to those barriers. More than any other group, Settlement Houses are the eyes and ears of their neighborhoods.
The settlement movement began in 19th century England in response to rising unemployment and widespread poverty. At the time, there were nearly 3 million Londoners who were without jobs, while those who were employed worked in “sweat shops” that paid low wages and required long hours. The city’s slums were growing fast and approximately 30% of all London residents lived below the poverty level. Seeing these conditions, religious leaders established neighborhood welfare centers dedicated to addressing the needs of the poor. The centers recruited workers to live on site as "settlers" and develop a range of public programs. These welfare workers assisted England’s poorest residents with job training, child care, education, and other services; they also developed the concept of social work as it is known today. The welfare centers were the first Settlement Houses and represented the start of a movement that would eventually expand across the world.
The concept of Settlement Houses spread to America via pioneers such as Stanton Coit and Jane Addams. Coit founded the first U.S. settlement, Neighborhood Guild, in 1886 to serve new immigrant populations on the lower east side of New York City. Addams followed by founding Hull House, perhaps the most well-known of all Settlement Houses, on the west side of Chicago in 1889. Both houses employed the traditional settlement philosophy - a holistic approach to neighborhood improvement and a belief that social change comes through indigenous leaders and organizations. In this way, settlements differed from other social service agencies of their time and played a key role in addressing the issues facing local neighborhoods.
The success of the Neighborhood Guild and the Hull House led to an explosion of settlements throughout the country. By 1910, there were more than 400 settlements located in the U.S., each working to improve education, joblessness, and overall quality of life for the nation’s poor. While this was positive in terms of addressing the needs of the community, it led to significant overlap of services. As a result, federations were created to coordinate the efforts of Settlement Houses and help them to deliver services more effectively and efficiently. The Columbus Federation of Settlements is a byproduct of this thinking.
Settlements of Today
Contemporary Settlement House workers no longer live on site and many Settlement Houses have changed their names to 'community center' or 'neighborhood house' to reflect the fact that they are settlements-without-residents. Still, Settlement Houses continue their long history of being integral to and embedded in their communities. Settlement Houses continue to be distinguishable from other social service agencies, not by the type of services they provide but by their holistic approach to strengthening neighborhoods and families. Settlement Houses develop services and activities in concert with the needs and interests of a broad cross-section of citizens--not only those with specific problems--within a geographically defined area. Because of the close relationship with their communities, Settlement Houses often serve as resources for other community agencies by identifying social trends that create barriers to healthy living and suggesting solutions to those barriers. More than any other group, Settlement Houses are the eyes and ears of their neighborhoods.
