Settlement House Proposal

I would like to propose starting a settlement house on the lower eastside of Manhattan. If it is approved I will name it the Manhattan Shelter. I will need funding from wealthy sponsors and charities to begin this project if it is approved. Many believe that poverty results from the laziness of the poor and poor character, but providing those less fortunate with a place to live will result in them getting an education so that they may work more efficiently and therefore help raise the economy from the depression we are experiencing. “Low earnings, irregular employment, large families, sickness and old age were the root causes of poverty in the nineteenth century rather than intemperance or idleness. By 1900 new levels of poverty were discovered

If I receive enough money, I would like to expand and make a much larger building with many more services to offer. “The settlements taught adult education and English language classes, provided schooling for immigrants ' children, organized job clubs, offered after school recreation, initiated public health services, and advocated for improved housing for the poor and working classes” (http://www.unhny.org/about/history). English language classes will be a large part of the settlement house because of the opportunities that would arise once they can speak fluent English, such as more job options. “Settlement house workers were educated poor persons, both children and adults, who often engaged in social action on behalf of the community. In attaining their goals, the settlement house reformers had an enviable record. They had a realistic understanding of the social forces and the political structures of the city and nation. They battled in legislative halls as well as in urban slums, and they became successful initiators and organizers of reform”(http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/settlement_house.aspx). The Manhattan Shelter will have many attainable goals, such as reducing poverty, starvation, disease, and