Chronicles the sweeping history of the storied Henry Street Settlement and its enduring vision of a more just society
On a cold March day in 1893, 26-year-old nurse Lillian Wald rushed through the poverty-stricken streets of New York’s Lower East Side to a squalid bedroom where a young mother lay dying—abandoned by her doctor because she could not pay his fee. The misery in the room and the walk to reach it inspired Wald to establish Henry Street Settlement, which would become one of the most influential social welfare organizations in American history.
Through personal narratives, vivid images, and previously untold stories, Ellen M. Snyder-Grenier chronicles Henry Street’s sweeping history from 1893 to today. From the fights for public health and immigrants’ rights that fueled its founding, to advocating for relief during the Great Depression, all the way to tackling homelessness and AIDS in the 1980s, and into today—Henry Street has been a champion for social justice. Its powerful narrative illuminates larger stories about poverty, and who is “worthy” of help; immigration and migration, and who is welcomed; human rights, and whose voice is heard.
For over 125 years, Henry Street Settlement has survived in a changing city and nation because of its ability to change with the times; because of the ingenuity of its guiding principle—that by bridging divides of class, culture, and race we could create a more equitable world; and because of the persistence of poverty, racism, and income disparity that it has pledged to confront. This makes the story of Henry Street as relevant today as it was more than a century ago. The House on Henry Street is not just about the challenges of overcoming hardship, but about the best possibilities of urban life and the hope and ambition it takes to achieve them.

"Generations of new New Yorkers have found a friend inside its doors. Aspiring actors, from Jerry Stiller to Luis Guzman, have found inspiration in its arts programs. Ideas it first floated – like the Visiting Nurse Service of New York – have become institutions. Over 125 years, the settlement has spread to encompass 18 separate facilities. Its client base has grown too, with more than 50,000 New Yorkers annually taking advantage of its cultural programs, social services, and health care. In some ways, it is very different from what it was in 1895. In the most important way, however, it is precisely the same." - New York Daily News

"Several aspects of the book make it worth noting to public historians: its relationship to a physical exhibition space and digital counterpart; its central argument in defense of flexible yet principled civic engagement; and the model it provides in attempting to fashion a usable past from an extensive, still-accumulating, and sometimes fraught history." - The Public Historian