
What was the Henry Street Settlement in New York?
Henry Street Settlement, settlement house complex in New York City, founded in 1893 by American nurse and social worker Lillian D. Wald as a nursing service for immigrants. Initially composed of several properties on Henry Street, the settlement later expanded throughout the Manhattan’s Lower East
How old was Harriet Wald when she founded Henry Street Settlement?
Born into a life of privilege, and descended from a family of Jewish professionals, at age 22 Wald came to Manhattan to attend the New York Hospital School of Nursing. In 1893, after witnessing first-hand the poverty and hardship endured by immigrants on the Lower East Side, she founded Henry Street Settlement.
Who is the new director of Henry Street Settlement?
Lillian Wald retires and becomes Director Emeritus of Henry Street Settlement. Helen Hall, former Director of the University Settlement in Philadelphia, succeeds Lillian Wald as Director. To combat the loan shark racket, Settlement members start the Credit Union. Over the years, neighborhood residents received over $3 million in loans.
What is Henry Street known for?
Today, Henry Street is known for its pioneering efforts in social service and health care delivery.
Who founded the Henry Street Settlement House?
founder Lillian WaldOne of the most influential and respected social reformers of the 20th century, Henry Street Settlement founder Lillian Wald (1867-1940) was a tireless and accomplished humanitarian.
Who funded Henry Street Settlement?
The Settlement makes history in April when it is awarded a competitive $360,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support The House on Henry Street, a multi-platform project, including a permanent exhibition, exploring social activism, urban poverty, and public health through the lens of Henry ...
Who operated Henry Street Settlement in NYC?
Founded in 1893 by progressive reformer Lillian Wald, Henry Street Settlement provides social services, arts and health care programs to New Yorkers from 17 sites on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
What is the Henry Street Settlement known for?
Today, Henry Street is known for its pioneering efforts in social service and health care delivery.
What are settlement houses NYC?
Settlement houses are neighborhood-based social organizations. UNH leads advocacy and partners with our members on a broad range of issues including civic and community engagement, neighborhood affordability, healthy aging, early childhood education, adult literacy, and youth development.
What is the definition settlement house?
Definition of settlement house : an institution providing various community services especially to large city populations.
What were some of the accomplishments that were achieved as a result of the creation of Hull House and the Henry Street Settlement?
The Henry Street Settlement offered English classes for new immigrants, established a savings bank, and provided vocational training, public lectures, a library, and various clubs and activities.
Who was the first visiting nurse?
PhoebeThe first known Christian nurse, Phoebe, is mentioned in Romans 16:1. During the early years of the Christian Church (ca. AD 50), St. Paul sent a deaconess named Phoebe to Rome as the first visiting nurse.
Who was the first nursing professor?
A Polar-Area Diagram, Invented by Florence Nightingale Florence in 1860 established nightingale nursing school as the first nursing school in the world (4). With the establishment of this school, she changed nursing to a respectful profession.
Why is Lillian Wald important?
Lillian D. Wald helped to bring health care to the residents of New York's Lower East Side at the turn of the twentieth century. As a “practical idealist who worked to create a more just society,” Wald fought for public health care, women's rights, and children's rights while running the Henry Street Settlement.
Which was the first care delivery system for practical nurses?
Fundamentals Ch. 1QuestionAnswerWhich educational nursing program attracts the majority of registered nurse (RN) students?associate degree programWhich was the first care delivery system for practical nurses?Functional nursing care39 more rows
What was the purpose of the Association of Collegiate Schools of nursing in 1935?
To promote and strengthen relationships between schools of nursing and institutions of higher education.
Who was the founder of Henry Street Settlement?
One of the most influential and respected social reformers of the 20th century, Henry Street Settlement founder Lillian Wald (1867-1940) was a tireless and accomplished humanitarian. Born into a life of privilege, and descended from a family of Jewish professionals, at age 22 Wald came to Manhattan to attend the New York Hospital School of Nursing.
What did Henry Street provide?
In addition to health care, Henry Street provided social services and instruction in everything from the English language to music.
What was Wald's settlement?
The Settlement offered an astonishing array of innovative and effective social, recreational and educational services. As headworker of Henry Street Settlement until 1933, Wald drew from global intellectual currents of reform — especially networks of women and Progressives — as she integrated her Settlement into powerful political networks ...
Who was Wald's community?
Wald established a close community of women—with whom she had both romantic and platonic relationships—at the Settlement. Based on love letters uncovered by historian Blanche Wiesen Cook, we know of two romantic relationships in particular, with lawyer Helen Arthur and Mabel Hyde Kittredge, who helped Wald in her effort to initiative a public-school lunch program. Wald called her supportive community of women “the family.” Understanding these support networks is essential to understanding Henry Street’s founding days and the legacy of the organization.
How did Wald start the public health nursing profession?
Wald pioneered public health nursing by placing nurses in public schools, and by helping found the National Organization for Public Health Nursing and Columbia University’s School of Nursing. The Visiting Nurse Service of New York, started by Wald at the Settlement, broke off as a separate entity in 1944.
Who bought Henry Street Settlement?
Two years later, in 1895, Jacob Schiff, a banker and philanthropist purchased the Federal style townhouse at 265 Henry Street for the new organization to use.
How many people are in the Henry Street Settlement?
The Settlement serves about 50,000 people each year. Clients include low-income individuals and families, survivors of domestic violence, youngsters ages 2 through 21, individuals with mental and physical health challenges, senior citizens, and arts and culture enthusiasts who attend performances, classes and exhibitions at Henry Street's Abrons Arts Center .
What were the names of the three townhouses in the Settlement?
This combining of the three townhouse – 263, 265 and 267 – had the consequence of preserving part of the 1820s streetscape amid what later became a crowded tenement district. The block of Henry Street between Montgomery Street and Grand Street, which also includes St. Augustine's Church, gives an impression of uptown Manhattan as it would have looked in the 1820s and 1830s. #263 Henry Street was restored in 1989 and #265 in 1992.
What building was designated a landmark in 1966?
The Settlement's buildings at 263, 265 and 267 Henry Street were designated New York City landmarks in 1966, and these buildings, along with the Neighborhood Playhouse building at 466 Grand Street, were collectively designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
What is Henry Street known for?
Today, Henry Street is known for its pioneering efforts in social service and health care delivery. Its innovations included the establishment of one of New York City's first off-street playgrounds (1902); funding the first public school nurse (1902); starting the Visiting Nurse Service, which became independent as the Visiting Nurse Service of New York in 1944; opening one of the nation's first mental health clinics (1946), one of the first transitional housing facilities for the homeless (1972), the first Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) in public housing (1994) and the city's first Safe Haven shelter for homeless women (2007).
When did Morris Loeb buy Henry Street?
A street-level view of 267 Henry Street. The organization expanded again in 1906 , when Morris Loeb bought the building at 267 Henry Street for it to use.
When did Schiff donate the building to the Settlement?
The building was expanded upwards with an additional story to provide more space, and Schiff donated the building to the Settlement in 1903. The year before, the Settlement had added new facilities, including a gymnasium at 299, 301 and 303 Henry Street. A street-level view of 267 Henry Street.
Where is Henry Street Settlement located?
Official Site of Henry Street Settlement, New York City, New York, United States
How many nurses were there in Henry Street Settlement?
By 1906 the Henry Street Settlement had a team of 27 nurses aiding the Lower East Side; by 1914 that number had grown to more than 100. In 1908 Henry Street Settlement opened two summer camps: Camp Henry for boys and Echo Hill Farm for girls.
Why did Wald and Brewster move into an apartment?
To be close to the community they served, Wald and Brewster moved into an apartment just two blocks away from the future location of the settlement. By 1894 the pair had visited 125 tenement families. When Brewster fell ill, she decided to leave the Visiting Nurse Service.
What was Wald's purpose in 1909?
In 1909 Wald offered the use of the Henry Street Settlement for the National Negro Conference, which became the founding meeting for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Who replaced Wald in the University Settlement?
Following her retirement in 1930, Wald was replaced by Helen Hall, who had directed the University Settlement in Philadelphia. At the time of Wald’s death in 1940, nearly 300 nurses worked out of 20 branches of the Henry Street Settlement around New York City.
What did Wald do for the playground?
Wald created one of New York City’s first playgrounds, in the settlement house’s small backyard, and helped start the Outdoor Recreation League, which pushed to organize public playgrounds and parks. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now.
When was Henry Street's Urban Family Shelter opened?
When it opened in 1972 , Henry Street's Urban Family Shelter – which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2012 -- was the first family shelter in the nation to house families in individual apartments and provide 24-hour on-site social services to help families through their state of homelessness and transition into permanent housing. It has since served as model for shelters throughout the country.
How many transitional shelters does Henry Street have?
Today, as one of DHS' contracted providers, Henry Street operates three transitional shelters: two facilities for families, and one for single adult women.
What is Helen's House Shelter?
It has since served as model for shelters throughout the country. Additionally, the Helen's House Shelter serves single parents and their pre-school-aged children, and the Third Street Women's Shelter provides temporary housing to single women with mental health issues.
About
Founded in 1893 by social work and public health pioneer Lillian Wald and based on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Henry Street Settlement delivers a wide range of social service, arts and health care programs to more than 50,000 New Yorkers each year.
Humans of Henry Street
We’re celebrating Henry Street Settlement’s 125th birthday by showcasing individuals whose interaction with the Settlement was transformational — in their lives or Henry Street’s.
Who wrote the Henry Street Settlement?
Source: This description of Henry Street Settlement in 1910-1911 is taken 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 was published by The Russell Sage Foundation ...
What year was the investigation of children's street games?
Investigation of children’s street games, 1909; investigation of conditions surrounding working girls in department stores, factories and canneries, 1909; a study of festivals with their possibilities for settlement presentation (report published in Charities). II.
What does the settlement give to a kindergarten?
The settlement gives the department of education rooms for a kindergarten and has provided quarters for physical work with a class of defectives. Administers a system of scholarships for children between fourteen and sixteen years of age. A resident follows each child’s school, home and social life.
How many patients did the Bronx nursing staff have in 1909?
The nursing staff increased from 15 in 1900 to 47 in 1909; making calls upon 10,234 patients, and rendering first aid treatment to 16,192 persons that year.

Overview
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 under the name Nurses' Settlement in 1893 by progressive reformer and nurse Lillian Wald.
Description
The Settlement serves about 50,000 people each year. Clients include low-income individuals and families, survivors of domestic violence, youth ages 2 through 21, individuals with mental and physical health challenges, senior citizens, and arts and culture enthusiasts who attend performances, classes and exhibitions at Henry Street's Abrons Arts Center.
The Settlement's administrative offices are still located in its original (c. 1832) federal row hous…
History
In 1892, Lillian Wald, a 25-year-old nurse then enrolled in the Women's Medical College, volunteered to teach a class on home health care for immigrant women at the Louis Down-Town Sabbath and Daily School on the Lower East Side. One day, she was approached by a young girl who kept repeating "mommy ... baby ... blood". Wald gathered some sheets from her bed-making lesson and followed …
Services
Henry Street Settlement currently offers:
• Housing - Four homeless shelters, including one for domestic violence survivors, and supportive permanent housing for formerly homeless individuals with mental health issues.
• Senior Programs - a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community, the Good Companions Senior Center, a Senior Companion Progra…
In literature
• The House on Henry Street by Lillian Wald
• Sue Barton Visiting Nurse by Helen Dore Boylston
• All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
• The House on Henry Street: The Enduring Life of a Lower East Side Settlement, by Ellen Snyder-Grenier
In popular culture
• In Season 4 of the Netflix series, The Crown, Henry Street Settlement’s Urban Family Center is visited by Princess Diana - a dramatization of her 1989 visit to New York City.
External links
• Official website
Finding aid for the Henry Street Settlement records in the Social Welfare History Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries.