Settlement House

By Deane Barker • •

The Settlement Movement was an attempt to alleviate poverty and improve the lives of the poor in the late 1800s. The idea was that middle class and poor people would be brought together in a type of mass mentorship arrangement, to teach knowledge, skills, and culture.

The apex of the movement was the establishment of “settlement houses,” where middle class and poor citizens would live together.

In the United States, Jane Addams is known for pioneering the movement and founding Hull House in Chicago. The house is now a museum on the campus of the University of Illinois.

Why I Looked It Up

I was reading a biographical entry about Addams in an encyclopedia, and it spoke of settlement houses and the movement without explaining what they were.

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