(W. Ho.) SOCIAL SETTLEMENTS. In Great Britain this term is applied to settlements of social workers in depressed areas, whose object is the relief of poverty and its consequent effects. After the opening of Toynbee Hall in 1884 a large number of other settlements sprang up in London and the provinces. Some like Oxford house in Bethnal Green and Cambridge house in Camber well are connected with a particular university ; some like Mans field house in West Ham with a particular college. Some of the settlements are for men and some for women only. Others like the Manchester University Settlement have separate houses for men and for women. Unlike Toynbee Hall, which has always been non-denominational and non-party, certain settlements are connected with a religious body, usually the Church of England, but no settlement imposes any sort of test upon those who desire to benefit by its operations. Generally all settlements share the ideals of Canon Barnett, the founder of the settlement movement, though they may differ from him and from one another as to the emphasis to be placed upon the several aspects of their work. Thus while some of the settlements are intimately connected with the local government of their areas and encourage their residents to serve on the borough council or board of guardians, others through clubs of all kinds and societies and meetings concentrate upon the personal element in the life of the neighbourhood. It may however be said of all the settlements that though, owing mainly to the development of social legislation in Great Britain, they are not as much as heretofore absorbed in tasks connected with the poor or destitute in their areas and tend more than in Barnett's day to specialize in some aspect of social work, they are concerned to further social investigation, education for the young and particularly for the adult, the work of such bodies as the care and after care committees and of such representatives of the public as the school attendance officer and the probation officer. Further all the settlements are the centres of voluntary bodies such as the Children's Country Holiday Fund, the Invalid Children's Aid Association and the Skilled Employment Committee and all are actively assisting the work of such agencies as the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. Most settlements moreover provide a service of "poor men's lawyers" and are generally willing in any sort of emergency to act as poor man's friend.
Since the end of the World War, the settlements in Great Britain have been drawn together by the Federation of Residential Settlements through which the individual settlements exchange ideas and afford one another various kinds of assistance. The Federation is concerned to promote settlements in areas which seem specially to need them. It has recently established a settle ment in one of the villages in the new Kent coalfield and other settlements in socially backward areas are in contemplation. About 5o settlements are affiliated to the Federation of Residential Settlements. Educational as distinct from residential settlements are a recent development. They are grouped in the Educational Settlements Association. Such settlements are not connected with universities. They undertake to organize higher education for adults in the locality.
This type of settlement because of its relative inexpensiveness and its singleness of object is suitable to areas inhabited by artisans who desire education and discussion. Residential or edu cational settlements have been founded in many new housing estates and depressed areas.
There are settlements in several European countries and in Japan and China but they are not numerous and differ in important respects from the British type. The widespread character of the movement is to be judged by the fact that at the first international conference of settlements held at Toynbee Hall in 1922, 21 coun tries were represented by nearly 30o delegates. At this confer ence a committee was appointed to keep the settlements in the affiliated countries in touch with one another and to arrange for the holding of subsequent conferences at four-yearly intervals at varying venues. (J. J. 1\4.) The United States.—The founders of the first settlements in the United States lived at Toynbee Hall or talked with Samuel A. Barnett. Neighborhood Guild (University Settlement), the first American settlement, was established August 1886 on the lower East Side of New York by Stanton Coit; Hull House, Chicago, and College Settlement, New York, June 1891 ; Northwestern University Settlement, Chicago, and South End House, Boston, December 1891. The number reached 103 in 1900 and 413 in 1911.
The World War and the depression of 1930-39 halted further growth. In 1939 there were between 500 and 600 houses.
Purpose.—Settlements provide opportunities for working people to meet neighbours and friends and to become acquainted with educated men and women ; organize classes in any subject-matter for which there is demand ; and obtain for their neighbourhoods better organization of professional service, relief in crises, legal protection against exploitation, improved municipal and govern mental public services and public and semi-public recreation. Neighbourliness or friendliness as a means of understanding the problems and point of view of individuals and groups is funda mental.
Residence in the area served identifies the settlement staff with the community and its problems.
Health.—Lillian D. Wald (Henry Street Settlement) organized the district nursing service for New York city, originated school nursing and helped secure the Federal Children's Bureau. In vestigations into midwifery (Union Settlement, New York), into fly-borne typhoid (Dr. Alice Hamilton, Hull House) and into the workings (1937) of the British sickness insurance act, are typical settlement contributions to public health. State and national sickness insurance legislation is furthered. Health education tends to replace clinics in the houses.
Poverty.—Julia Lathrop (Hull House) brought about improve ments in public administration of poor relief in Illinois, and Robert A. Woods (South End House) helped obtain a law which reduced vagrancy in Massachusetts. Settlements in several States assisted in obtaining mothers' pension acts. Most houses co-oper ate with public and private relief agencies in cases of acute need, but do not themselves give relief. A national study of the extent and human cost of unemployment begun in 1927 made settlement workers eager advocates of State and national unemployment in surance.