Settlement movement
Encyclopedia
- For the organizations for kibbutzim and moshavim, see Settlement movement (Israel)Settlement movement (Israel)Settlement movement is a term used in Israel to describe national umbrella organisations for kibbutzim, moshavim, moshavim shitufiim, and communal settlements...
.
Social movement
Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
, beginning in the 1880s and peaking around the 1920s in England and the US, with a goal of getting the rich and poor in society to live more closely together in an interdependent community. Its main object was the establishment of "settlement houses" in poor urban areas, in which volunteer middle-class "settlement workers" would live, hoping to share knowledge and culture with, and alleviate the poverty of their low-income neighbors. In the US, by 1913 there were 413 settlements in 32 states.
History
The movement started in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the mid 19th century. These houses often offered food, shelter, and basic, as well as higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, provided by virtue of charity on part of wealthy donors, the residents of the city, and (for education) scholars who volunteered their time.
Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
England, increasingly concerned with poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, gave rise to the movement whereby those connected to universities settled students in slum areas to live and work alongside local people. Through their efforts settlement houses were established for education, savings, sports, and arts. Such institutions were often praised by religious representatives concerned with the lives of the poor, and criticized as normative or moralistic by radical social movements.
The British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres is a network of such organizations in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Birmingham University has produced a brief history of the settlement movement in the UK. Examples of the earliest settlements dating back to 1884 are Aston-Mansfield, Toynbee Hall
Toynbee Hall
Toynbee Hall is a building in Tower Hamlets, East London which is the home of a charity working to bridge the gap between people of all social and financial backgrounds, with a focus on eradicating poverty and promoting social inclusion....
, and Oxford House
Oxford House (settlement)
Oxford House in Bethnal Green, London was established in September 1884 as one of the first "settlements" by Oxford University as a High-Anglican Church of England counterpart to Toynbee Hall, established around the same time at Whitechapel.- History :...
in Bethnal Green. There is also a global network, the International Federation of Settlements.
The movement gave rise to many social policy initiatives and innovative ways of working to improve the conditions of the most excluded members of society. The Poor Man's Lawyer service came about because a barrister volunteered his time and encouraged his friends to do the same. In general, the settlement movement, and settlement houses in particular, "have been a foundation for social work practice in this country."
The most famous Settlement House in the United States is Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Hull House
Hull House
Hull House is a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of , Hull House opened its doors to the recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull...
, founded by Jane Addams
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
and Ellen Gates Starr
Ellen Gates Starr
Ellen Gates Starr was an American social reformer and activist.-Biography:...
in 1889 after they had visited Toynbee Hall in 1888. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is a multi-service community-based organization that serves people in need on the East Side of Manhattan and on Roosevelt Island...
, founded in 1894, Henry Street Settlement
Henry Street Settlement
The Henry Street Settlement is a not-for-profit social service agency in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City that provides social services, arts programs and health care services to New Yorkers of all ages. It was founded in 1893 by Progressive reformer Lillian Wald.The...
, founded in 1893, and University Settlement House
University Settlement House
University Settlement Society of New York is located at 184 Eldridge Street on New York's Lower East Side...
, founded in 1886 and the oldest in the United States, were, like Hull House, important sites for social reform. United Neighborhood Houses of New York is the federation of 35 settlement houses in New York City. These and other settlement houses inspired the establishment of settlement school
Settlement school
Settlement schools are social reform institutions established in rural Appalachia in the early 20th century with the purpose of educating mountain children and improving their isolated rural communities. Settlement schools have played an important role in preserving and promoting the cultural...
s to serve isolated rural communities in Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
. The settlement house concept was continued by Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and devout Catholic convert; she advocated the Catholic economic theory of Distributism. She was also considered to be an anarchist, and did not hesitate to use the term...
's Catholic Worker
Catholic Worker
The Catholic Worker is a newspaper published seven times a year by the Catholic Worker Movement community in New York City. The newspaper was started by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin to make people aware of church teaching on social justice...
hospitality houses in the 1930s.
In contemporary USA the term is also used for independent living programs targeted towards young people who "age out" of the foster care system. The US Congress passed legislation in 1999, setting aside $140 million for independent living programs.
The movement also spread to late Tsarist Russia, as Stanislav Shatsky
Stanislav Shatsky
Stanislav Shatskii was an important late Tsarist and early Soviet humanistic educator, writer, and educational administrator....
and Alexander Zelenko
Alexander Zelenko
Alexander Ustinovich Zelenko , 1871–1953, was a Russian and Soviet architect and educator, a pioneer in settlement movement and vocational education...
set up a network of educational and social institutions in northern Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1905, naming it "Setlement" (the transliterated English word in Russian). This network of institutions was closed down by the Tsarist authorities in 1908.
Today, settlements are still community-focused organizations, providing a range of services including early education, youth guidance and crime intervention, senior programs, and specialized programs for young people who "aged out" of the foster care system. Since they are staffed by professional employees and students, they no longer require that employees live alongside those they serve.
Active settlement houses
- Association of Neighbourhood Houses of BC, British Columbia
- Alexandra Neighbourhood House, South Surrey, BC
- Kingsley House (New Orleans)
Jefferey Smith from New York founded the White Settlement
- The House of The Seven Gables Settlement, Salem, MA
- Association House, Chicago
- Benton House, Chicago, IL
- United Neighborhood Houses of New York, New York, New York
- Charles Settlement House, Rochester, New York
- Bethany HouseBethany House (Laredo, Texas)Bethany House is a settlement house, a 5013 nonprofit organization, that assists the homeless and other indigent in Laredo and Webb County, Texas. It was founded in 1982 by the Roman Catholic Father Charles M...
, LaredoLaredo, TexasLaredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... - Cabbage Patch Settlement House, Louisville
- Cambridge HouseCambridge House (organisation)Cambridge House is a voluntary organisation in Southwark, London.It offers a variety of services to the local community, including: a law centre, advocacy, community development, services for people with learning difficulties, childcare and young people's services.Cambridge House provides direct...
, SouthwarkSouthwarkSouthwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... - Chicago Commons, Chicago
- Columbus Federation of Settlements, Columbus, OH
- East Side House SettlementEast Side House SettlementEast Side House Settlement is a non-profit organization located in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx area of New York, New York, United States...
, New York - Grace Hill Settlement House, St. Louis
- Grand Street SettlementGrand Street SettlementGrand Street Settlement is an historic social service institution on the Lower East Side in New York City and was founded in 1916 in response to the needs of waves of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe who were settling in the area...
, New York - The Educational AllianceThe Educational AllianceThe Educational Alliance has been serving Downtown Manhattan since 1889.Founded as a partnership between the Aguilar Free Library, the Young Men's Hebrew Association , and the Hebrew Institute, the main purpose was to serve as a settlement house for Eastern European Jews immigrating to New York...
- Greenwich House, Inc., New York
- Jane Addams Hull House Association, Chicago
- Hamilton-Madison HouseHamilton-Madison HouseHamilton-Madison House is a voluntary, non-profit settlement house dedicated to improving the quality of life of its community, primarily that of the Two Bridges/Chinatown area of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York, United States...
, New York - Henry Street SettlementHenry Street SettlementThe Henry Street Settlement is a not-for-profit social service agency in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City that provides social services, arts programs and health care services to New Yorkers of all ages. It was founded in 1893 by Progressive reformer Lillian Wald.The...
, New York - Hudson GuildHudson GuildThe Hudson Guild is a community-based social services organization rooted in and primarily focused on the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1897 by Dr. John Lovejoy Elliott as a settlement house, with the intention of helping to alleviate the problems of the...
, New York - John Hope Settlement House, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Lenox Hill Neighborhood HouseLenox Hill Neighborhood HouseLenox Hill Neighborhood House is a multi-service community-based organization that serves people in need on the East Side of Manhattan and on Roosevelt Island...
, New York - Northwestern University Settlement HouseNorthwestern University Settlement HouseThe Northwestern University Settlement House is an Arts and Crafts style house located at 1400 West Augusta Boulevard in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The Settlement Association was founded in 1891 by Northwestern University to provide resources to the poor and new immigrants to the West Town...
, Chicago - Oakland House settlement
- Oxford HouseOxford House (settlement)Oxford House in Bethnal Green, London was established in September 1884 as one of the first "settlements" by Oxford University as a High-Anglican Church of England counterpart to Toynbee Hall, established around the same time at Whitechapel.- History :...
, Bethnal Green, London - Palama Settlement, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Queens Community House, New York
- Riverdale Neighborhood House
- The Shack Neighborhood HouseThe Shack Neighborhood HouseThe Shack Neighborhood House serves the people of the once thriving Appalachian coal mining community of Scott's Run northwest of Morgantown, West Virginia. Founded by Mary E...
, Scott's Run, West Virginia - Stanton Street SettlementStanton Street SettlementThe Stanton Street Settlement is a Settlement movement, a 5013 not-for-profit community organization in New York, New York, United States. Its mission is to provide a safe, caring, tuition-free environment where children from the city's Lower East Side can develop their minds, bodies and...
, New York - Sydney University Settlement, Darlington
- Time and Talents Association
- Toynbee HallToynbee HallToynbee Hall is a building in Tower Hamlets, East London which is the home of a charity working to bridge the gap between people of all social and financial backgrounds, with a focus on eradicating poverty and promoting social inclusion....
, Whitechapel, London - Union Settlement AssociationUnion Settlement Associationis one of the oldest settlement houses in New York City, providing community-based services and programs that support the immigrant and low-income residents of East Harlem...
, East Harlem, New York - University Settlement HouseUniversity Settlement HouseUniversity Settlement Society of New York is located at 184 Eldridge Street on New York's Lower East Side...
, New York - University Settlement ClevelandUniversity Settlement ClevelandUniversity Settlement is a nonprofit social service agency serving the Broadway/Slavic Village neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio. It is located at 4800 Broadway Ave...
, Cleveland
Historical settlement houses
- Bermondsey SettlementBermondsey SettlementThe Bermondsey Settlement was a settlement house founded in Bermondsey, East London, by the Rev'd John Scott Lidgett. It was the only Methodist foundation among the settlements that appeared in the late 19th and early 20th century. Like other settlement houses it offered social, health and...
, East London - Hull HouseHull HouseHull House is a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of , Hull House opened its doors to the recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull...
, Chicago - Hiram HouseHiram HouseThe Hiram House is one of the first settlement houses in the United States, founded in 1896 by George A. Bellamy. Originally located on Orange Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, Hiram House operates today on a site in the nearby Chagrin River Valley village of Moreland Hills....
, Cleveland, Ohio - North East Neighborhood HouseNorth East Neighborhood HouseNorth East Neighborhood House is a building in the Northeast neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The building housed a social services organization established in 1915 by Plymouth Church, a Minneapolis congregational church. The roots of the organization go back to Immanuel Sunday School,...
, Minneapolis, Minnesota - Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center, Columbus, Ohio
Legacy and impact
Settlement houses impacted urban designUrban design
Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities, and in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has...
and architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
in the 20th Century.
For example, James Rossant
James Rossant
James Stephan Rossant was an American architect, artist, and professor of architecture. A long-time Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he is best known for his master plan of Reston, Virginia, the Lower Manhattan Plan, and the UN-sponsored master plan for Dodoma, Tanzania...
of Conklin + Rossant agreed with Robert E. Simon
Robert E. Simon
Robert E. "Bob" Simon, Jr. is a real estate entrepreneur most known for founding the community of Reston, Virginia.- Reston :...
's social vision and consciously sought to mix economic backgrounds when drawing up the master plan for Reston, Virginia
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
.
Further reading
- Blank, Barbara Trainin, "Settlement Houses: Old Idea in New Form Builds Communities", The New Social Worker, Summer 1998, Vol. 5, No. 3