|
 What is a Settlement House?
Settlement Houses grew out of the social reform movements of the late-nineteenth century. Early Settlement House workers were typically upper-class, urban missionaries who strove to address the concerns of urban immigrants who were suffering from squalid living conditions, disease, illiteracy, and unemployment. Many of them not only worked in poor immigrant communities, but they also came to live among the people they served--hence the term "Settlement."
How is a Settlement House different from other social service agencies?
Settlements are unique agencies in that they are neighborhood based. They frequently offer a wide range of services that address an individual's entire life cycle, from birth to old age. Another characteristic of Settlements has been their historic involvement in social change efforts. Time and time again they have been the innovators of ground-breaking methods in social work.
What makes Henry Street special among other agencies of its kind?
Henry Street is Progressive. Since its founding in 1893 by progressive reformer Lillian D. Wald, Henry Street has met continuously the needs of a community that has undergone a series of rapid changes. As the ethnic and cultural character of the neighborhood changed, the agency worked to improve the lives of the new arrivals. As the social and economic climate of the urban environment fluctuated, Henry Street adapted its methods to address new difficulties of modern life.
Henry Street is Innovative. For over 100 years, Henry Street has consistently been on the cutting edge of its field. As an institution, Henry Street stands for a willingness to try new things, to take on the hardest problems and address them head on. Many Henry Street programs and initiatives are the first of their kind and are recognized and replicated around the globe.
Henry Street is Successful. Every year, Henry Street makes an impact on the lives of tens of thousands of families. The agency has a reputation for delivering quality services and for equipping its clients with the tools to succeed in real life situations. To generations of alumni, the name "Henry Street" invokes memories that are dear and deeply personal. Wherever they may roam, these children will always have a home on Henry Street.
Henry Street is Diverse. Serving a "neighborhood of immigrants" in the "city of immigrants," the Henry Street community reflects the diversity of 21st century America.
What populations does the agency serve?
Today, Henry Street serves the largely Asian and Hispanic population of the Lower East Side. The Settlement's Home Care initiative, which provides housekeeping and health services to homebound individuals, has a contingent of Russian-speaking staff, who serve a growing population of immigrants in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Several programs serve students from neighboring public schools, as well as the neighborhood's aging Jewish population that reside in the neighborhood.
While focused on the Lower East Side, Settlement programs reach all of New York City's five boroughs--in New York City public schools, housing developments, and transitional shelters. Henry Street's Workforce Development Center aids workers from all walks of life--from welfare-to-work participants to out-of-school youth to small business owners and degree-holding professionals. The staff members at Henry Street also come from many different cultural backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of the community they serve.
What services does the Settlement provide?
Henry Street is divided into seven Programmatic Divisions: Youth Services, Shelter & Supportive Services, Workforce Development Services, Behavioral & Health Services, Home Care Services, Senior Services, and the Abrons Arts Center. The Settlement offers dozens of programs in eleven locations around the Lower East Side, including:
- Home care services for the homebound elderly or sick
- Senior center and programs and services for older adults
- Three day care centers
- Transitional residences for homeless families and single women
- Battered women's shelter
- An out-patient mental health clinic
- A community health center
- Job Training and placement and referral services for displaced workers and small business owners, welfare recipients, and out-of-school youth
- Educational, recreational, after-school, and leadership development programs for young people
What is the relationship of the arts to Henry Street Settlement?
Settlement founder Lillian Wald realized early on that a community is enriched by exposure to the arts and to opportunities for creative expression. During the first half of the 20th Century, Lower East Side residents benefited from local theater productions, training in arts and crafts, as well as the Settlement's renown Music School, which has produced hundreds of concerts and operas and trained thousands of musicians since its inception in 1927.
Some of the most influential artists of the 20th century have taught, trained and/or performed at Henry Street. Eugene O'Neill, Robert Browning, Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Fred Astaire, George Gershwin, Igor Stravinsky, Dizzy Gillespie, and Eartha Kitt are but a few of the artists and performers who have passed through Henry Street's doors over the past 114 years.
In 1975, Henry Street brought its various arts programs under one roof with the establishment of The Arts for Living Center, later renamed the Abrons Arts Center. The Center was one of the first arts facilities in the nation designed for a predominantly low-income population. The Abrons Arts Center hosts classes for children and adults in dance, drama, visuals art, and music, as well as arts-in-education programming, artists-in-residence opportunities, and year-round performances and exhibits.
Where does the Henry Street Settlement get its funding?
Henry Street, like other Settlement houses, receives a combination of public and private funding. The proportion of funding depends on the nature of the individual program. Henry Street currently receives about 80% of its funding from federal, state and city sources, and the rest from foundations, corporations and individuals.
How can I help support the Henry Street Settlement?
The Henry Street Settlement is a non-profit organization that relies on the generous monetary and time contributions of supporters to operate and provide its services effectively. Volunteer opportunities are available for individuals as well as corporate groups.
Monetary donations may take many forms, including individual donations, employee matched gifts, gifts "In Honor Of" or "In Memory Of," gifts of stock, or legacy gifts. Henry Street also offers opportunities for donors to establish a personal memorial or tribute to an individual, an organization, or a loved one through naming opportunities and scholarships. Haute couture fashions and other collectible items may be donated for auction at one of our annual galas. Donations of such goods and services such as toys, books, personal hygiene products, musical instruments, and office furniture are always needed and always welcome.
If I become a Henry Street contributor, how will the agency keep me apprised of its activities?
Henry Street keeps its contributors apprised of its programs and activities with an annual report, a newsletter - News from Henry Street, as well as through our regularly updated website. In addition, tours of the Henry Street Settlement are scheduled on an occasional basis so that contributors may see first-hand how their generosity translates into good work for Lower East Side families and individuals.
Links to other FAQs
|
