Hull-House

Hull-House (cofounded by Jane Addams, pictured) residents advocated for social, educational, and political changes necessary to empower the local community. Thus, the work of the Hull-House residents defined the model for modern social work.

Source: Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The Hull-House settlement was a center for social change located in the poor, immigrant neighborhood surrounding 19th Ward of Chicago. Founded by Jane Addams and Ellen Starr in 1889 and incorporated in 1895, it closed in 1963 after its property was sold to the University of Illinois. Hull-House was both a center for education and change and a residence for social reformers who moved into Hull-House to participate in the life of the urban community. Residents of Hull-House were [Page 722]young professionals whose aim was to do good. The original charter for Hull-House identified three main goals: to provide a center for civic and social life, to maintain educational enterprises, and to improve the living and working conditions of residents of the industrial districts of Chicago. Hull-House was not affiliated with any church, religious organization, university, or political party, although its development was influenced by the Christian social outreach movement and the Socialist Labor Party. Its mission was to support the marginalized neighborhood residents in their quest to become citizens of the nation.

The Hull-House neighborhood was home to immigrants to the United States, predominantly from eastern and southern Europe. Poverty was ubiquitous: housing was overcrowded and inadequate, crime was rife, educational opportunities were deficient, sanitation and health services were insufficient. Community members were disenfranchised, both politically and socially, and were unable to access political mechanisms that would guarantee the changes needed to improve their living and working conditions. Addams, Starr, and the Hull-House residents enmeshed themselves in the life of the community and recognized that only members of the urban community could ensure that the social changes that were needed were put into practice. In Hull-House, they created a community center that gave neighborhood residents opportunities to understand and participate in the political processes that engender social change.

The concept of social justice was embodied in the mission of Hull-House. The Hull-House residents identified barriers that prevented the community members from participating in the dominant society of Chicago. Once these barriers were identified, the Hull-House residents advocated for social, educational, and political changes necessary to empower the local community. Thus, the work of the Hull-House residents defined the model for modern social work.

The original Hull-House mission focused on labor reform and juvenile justice, including the reduction of child labor and the improvement of educational opportunities within the community. By the early 20th century, its mission had expanded. Hull-House members offered family planning and birth control information to married women, and were involved in political actions such as immigration reform, trade unionism, and housing improvement. For a brief time, the family planning clinic participated in and contributed to the eugenics movement as a model for reducing poverty within the immigrant community.

In 1960, the University of Illinois, together with the city of Chicago, identified the Hull-House neighborhood as the area for university expansion. After 3 years of legal battles, including a hearing in the U.S. Supreme Court, Hull-House was sold to the University of Illinois for $865,000. It closed its doors in March 1963.

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