We call attention to the problems facing settlement houses by collecting, analyzing, and sharing data from our members.

Our reports, policy briefs, and testimonies inform City and State decision makers on local trends and bring actionable solutions to the table.

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NORCs: An Antidote to Social Isolation

Loneliness and social isolation have emerged as public health concerns–particularly for older adult populations–contributing to numerous health conditions including dementia and cognitive decline. We released a new report, NORCs: An Antidote to Social Isolation, which analyzes the surge in the older adult population in New York State, their needs, and the challenges they face, and highlights the essential role that supportive service programs in Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) (“NORC programs”) play in combating social isolation, enabling older New Yorkers to safely remain in their communities. 

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Progress Lost: Hardships Persist for New York Families After the End of the Expanded Child Tax Credit

To better understand the existing needs facing New York’s families today, and the importance of the community-based organizations that support them, researchers set out to speak with families and document their experiences. This report, a follow-up to the Settlement House American Rescue Plan Impact Study, summarizes findings from a second wave of SHARP surveys of more than 1,000 families during winter 2022-23 and offers a report from the field about New York parents’ experiences providing for their families since the expiration of the expanded federal Child Tax Credit and distills these experiences into concrete policy recommendations to strengthen economic security for families.

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Settlement Houses Supporting the Newest New Yorkers: Voices from the Field

In September 2023, United Neighborhood Houses surveyed its settlement house members to better understand the most pressing challenges facing the asylum-seeking families they are serving, the impact of the increase in asylum seekers on their programs and operations, and the support they need from government to serve these populations more effectively. This brief summarizes the key findings from this survey, along with information collected from peer groups of settlement house staff. Furthermore, the brief provides recommendations for how all levels of government can work with settlement houses on both immediate and long-term solutions to address the needs of asylum seekers in New York.

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Assessing the True Cost of Implementing High-Quality Afterschool Programming in New York City

Afterschool programming is a key aspect o the positive youth development movement. Effective afterschool programs build youth self-confidence and interpersonal skills, while reinforcing school-day instruction. United Neighborhood Houses worked with its settlement house members, as well as the Neighborhood Family Services Roundtable, to build a model budget that outlines the true cost of operating a quality program, during the school year and the summer months.

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Improving Access to the Expanded Child Tax Credit Among Low-Income & Immigrant New York Families Study with Educational Alliance

Following the initial Wave 1 quantitative survey, a number of respondents also participated in extended follow-up interviews in English, Spanish and Chinese, between February and August 2022. This brief summarizes findings from these interviews that underscore the findings in the first report, including the positive impacts of the CTC payments for those who received this benefit; the ongoing hardships and financial instability faced by low-income and immigrant families; and the barriers that these families faced with accessing the expanded CTC.

Settlement House Strong: How the Settlement House Program Builds NY's Communities

The New York State Settlement House Program (SHP) provides innovative, flexible funding for a comprehensive array of community-based services that strengthen neighborhoods and families across the State. The Settlement House Program improves the economic security and well-being of New Yorkers in a variety of ways-access to healthy food, assistance with enrollment into public benefit and housing subsidy programs, youth development, college counseling, bilingual case management, and ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) classes for immigrant families.

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Settlement House American Rescue Plan Impact Study Wave 1 Report

To better understand the ways in which settlement house families were able to use the expanded Child Tax Credit and to assess the ongoing unmet needs they experience, Educational Alliance, in partnership with United Neighborhood Houses and the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), conducted a survey of 1,078 families participating in New York settlement houses. This project, the Settlement House American Rescue Plan (SHARP) Impact Study, investigates family experiences in New York State's settlement house network related to access and use of the CTC.

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Settlement Houses on the Frontlines of Alleviating Food Insecurity

This brief provides an overview of persistent food insecurity in New York City and within the UNH settlement house network using data from a 2021 survey of 1,078 families within that network and from the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey while highlighting the ways that settlement houses stepped up to address the need for healthy food in their communities during the pandemic, the impact of record-high inflation and inconsistent funding on the ability of settlement houses to improve food access in their communities.

The Need to Strengthen the Economic Security of the Settlement House Workforce: Voices from the Field

This brief provides an overview of government underinvestment in the human services workforce that has led to poverty-level wages and lack of salary parity with other sectors; the financial precarity experience by this workforce; as well as challenges with staff recruitment and retention due to low wages and work-related burnout and frustration. In addition to highlighting findings from recent research studies, this brief includes insights provided by peer groups of settlement house staff convened by UNH; five-year 2015-2019 American Community Survey data from the US Census Bureau; and data from UNH's member salary surveys.

Settlement Houses Get Out the Vote Report

In 2021, UNH worked with 15 settlement houses in our network to increase voter turnout among historically low turnout populations in critically important local elections through creative, non-partisan tactics such as pledge-to-vote cards, virtual phone banking, peer-to-peer texting, and community events. To evaluate the impact of these efforts, UNH utilized voter outreach technology and data analysis to determine the efficacy of GOTV outreach efforts on voter turnout compared to the citywide turnout in municipal elections. This report provides a detailed overview of the methods and results that UNH used in its 2021 Get Out The Vote project with 15 settlement houses to determine that individuals are more likely to vote when contacted by a settlement house.

Settlement Houses Get Out the Vote Report

This brief provides an overview of food insecurity among older adults during the pandemic and the City’s response to addressing this problem, the chronic underfunding of DFTA’s HDM program exacerbated by rising inflation; and a list of recommendations to enhance and improve the program so that no homebound older adult who needs a meal is denied one.

Profiles in Practice: Older Adults Leading Change

UNH, in partnership with settlement houses, has facilitated the creation of 24 teams of older people working out of a variety of senior centers, NORCs, and community centers across New York City. Each team works with their sponsoring settlement house to choose an issue specific to their community and interests. These cohorts work together with UNH over a two-year period to identify and implement effective and impactful ways to best address the issue. This Profiles in Practice brings to light the positive impact self-directed teams have at three levels: the individual, the organization, and the community. We believe this is a model that is applicable to a number of different social service and community settings.

For older reports, contact Angela Sabblah at [email protected]