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United Communities Southeast Philadelphia
United Communities Southeast
Philadelphia has a long and rich tradition of service to children,
adults and families residing in Southeast Philadelphia. United
Communities was established in 1969 through the merger of three
settlement houses that date back to 1847. For the past 38 years, United
Communities has carried out the original settlement mission to promote
the educational and economic advancement of individuals and families
within its host neighborhoods.
Today, our mission is to work in
partnership with the various communities for social and economic justice
and to foster harmony for building self-sustaining communities through:
- Advocacy that promotes member
participation and leadership
- Economic Programs for enhancing
community development
- Social Programs supporting
individual and family well-being
- Educational opportunities that
advance skill development and knowledge
United Communities currently operates
two facilities, each of which serves as a major hub for community
resources and spirit in three very low income, diverse areas of
Southeast Philadelphia: the Houston Center, located at 8th Street and
Snyder Avenue; and Southwark House, located at Front & Ellsworth
Streets. In addition, United Communities also operates children’s
programs at the Bok Technical High School located at 8th & Mifflin
Streets: The Kid’s Place School Readiness Program and the United
Communities Beacon @ Bok; and afterschool programs at the Sharswood
Elementary, Southwark Elementary, Fell Elementary and Mastery Charter
schools.
In 1996, United Communities
established its own Community Development Corporation, now a separately
incorporated but closely linked organization. Together, United
Communities and the CDC provide services and community driven activities
that address the needs, further the strengths, and reinforce community
spirit for more than 11,000 children, adults and families through a wide
array of services. These services include:
- Preschool Programming
- Afterschool and summer camp
programs
- Adult Education (ABE/GED/ESL)
- Housing counseling and homeowner
education
- Emergency energy assistance
- Emergency food assistance
- Housing rehabilitation
- Prevention/Intervention programs
for teenage youth
- Youth employment program
- Computer literacy for children
and adults
- Out-of-school youth
educational/job readiness programming
- Case Management and Family
Services
- SCOH (Services To Children In
Their Own Homes)
- Truancy Prevention/Intervention
Programs
- Parent Education program
- Evening recreational activities
for adults
Through our years of service we have
established and maintained strong relationships with local schools and
community-based organizations. In the past several years, United
Communities has been an active participant in the
Southeast
Philadelphia Collaborative. This participation has enabled United
Communities to enhance its programming for youth, further our
partnerships with other organizations, and increase the visibility of
our agency.
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History:
United Communities
Southeast Philadelphia is the result of several mergers of existing
settlement houses. The oldest dates back to 1847, when the Philadelphia
Society for the Employment and Instruction of the Poor built the House
of Industry west of 7th on Catharine Street. It served as a shelter
where homeless people. Mostly immigrants from the British Isles, could
work making shoes, clothing, rugs, baskets and brushes in exchange for
food and shelter. As the neighborhood changed, so did the emphasis of
the House of Industry. As Italian immigrants replaced the English
speaking immigrants in the neighborhood, the need moved from shelter to
English and citizenship classes. The House of Industry recognized these
new needs and complied, providing the necessary classes as well as
recreational and educational clubs.
The Southwark Club, known
today as Southwark House, began as a women's club in 1900, organized by
Mrs. A.R. Ramsay. This group joined with working boys and girls clubs, a
kindergarten and a milk station. In 1906, with funds from the
Philadelphia Ethical Society, the Southwark Club purchased four adjacent
houses at its current location at Front and Ellsworth Streets. Mrs.
Samuel Fels, a neighborhood woman of means helped make the houses
usable. The Southwark Club moved in and became the Southwark
Neighborhood House. St. Martha's House, later to become the Houston
Community Center at 8th & Snyder, was also founded in 1900.
In 1921, the House of
Industry, Southwark Neighborhood House and another settlement, Workman
Place Neighborhood House formed the Welfare Federation. The settlements
remained separate entities for over two decades. In 1946, a combined
board was formed by Workman Place Neighborhood House, Southwark
Neighborhood House and Stanfield House. They were called, collectively,
United Neighbors Association. The following year, the House of Industry
moved to its new location, a former Methodist church on Catharine
between 6th & 7th Streets, and merged with United Neighbors.
Started in 1951, the
Hawthorne Program, later known as the Hawthorne Family Center and
located at the Palumbo Elementary School at 11th & Catharine Streets,
became a part of United Neighbors Association. In 1963, United
Neighbors, by now a member of the Philadelphia Association of
Settlements, joined with six other association members to form the
Delaware Valley Settlement Alliance. By the end of the year, the
Alliance had hired an executive director and a secretary. They had an
office and a small grant from The Philadelphia Foundation. The following
year, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania approved a small
allocation for the Alliance. One of the functions of the Delaware Valley
Settlement Alliance was to study and make recommendations regarding the
member settlements. At the prompting of United Way, the Alliance
undertook a study of the South Philadelphia settlements. As a result of
their recommendations, in 1969, United Neighbors merged with the Houston
Community Center to become United Communities Southeast Philadelphia.
Traditionally, United
Communities settlements played pivotal roles in the retraining and
adjustment of new immigrants and persons who were socially and
economically ill-equipped for self-sufficiency in Southeast
Philadelphia. United Communities continues this tradition by providing
training and support groups for young parents who lack effective
parenting skills, subsidized preschool and afterschool programs, job
training and job readiness classes, in-home weatherization assistance to
hundreds of families to make their homes safe and efficient, budget and
mortgage counseling to families paying high rents who are helped to
purchase homes with affordable mortgages that allow them to develop
equity in their properties. United Communities continues to reach out to
socially and economically disadvantaged groups in Southeast Philadelphia
to help them strengthen their capacity to care for themselves and
contribute to their communities. In addition, major environmental
changes in Southeast Philadelphia (development along Columbus Boulevard,
the closing of the Navy Base and the Avenue of the Arts) are both
threats and opportunities. Helping communities and neighborhood
leadership organize themselves to respond to these changes is a United
Communities priority.
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United Communities - Board of Directors
Board service is both a privilege and
a responsibility. As a board member of United Communities Southeast
Philadelphia, you will make decisions that will affect the quality of
life in our target communities. Overall, the function of the United
Communities’ Board is to set policy that enables the staff to implement
programs consistent with the agency’s mission. A key responsibility is
to ensure the financial viability of the organization. As a board
member, you are asked to provide leadership, direction and guidance. In
return, you will have a rewarding and fulfilling experience.
As a board member, you represent the
organization to the community at-large. Therefore, it is important to
keep abreast of the agency’s business so that you can use every
opportunity to thrust the organization into the limelight as you
interact in your professional and personal relationships. In addition,
board members need to remain aware of the target community to help the
organization effectively meet neighborhood needs and enable the
organization to remain healthy.
Board Member Responsibilities:
- Regularly attends monthly board
meetings and important related meetings.
- Participates as an active member
of at least one standing committee.
- Volunteers for and willingly
accepts assignments and completes them thoroughly and on time,
including chairing standing committees or ad hoc committees.
- Stays informed about
organizational matters, prepares well for meetings, and reviews and
comments on minutes and reports.
- Builds collegial working
relationships with other board members that contribute to the
consensus.
- Willingly shares professional
expertise as needed to enhance the organization’s mission.
- Is an active participant in the
organization’s annual evaluation and planning efforts.
- Participates in fundraising for
the organization.
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Supporting United Communities

We are
pleased to announce the launch of a new program that allows community
members and friends to support United Communities by making online
purchases through the
PANO mall, a
Web site created in conjunction with PANO, Fundlink, LLC, and over 1,300
major retailers.
Popular
consumer and business merchants such as Target®, Macy’s®, Best Buy®,
Dell®, and Staples®, and web based giants such as NewEgg® and Expedia®,
along with 1,300 other retailers have joined in helping local hospitals
and health care facilities by donating a portion of their online
proceeds. You shop, and they give a donation!
The PANO
mall works like any other online shopping vehicle except now United
Communities benefits from the experience. After entering the PANO mall
and selecting an online retailer to visit, you will be asked to
designate United Communities as the organization that will benefit from
your shopping experience. Once the designation is made, you will be sent
directly to the retailer of your choice to start shopping. It takes just
one extra step when shopping online for United Communities to earn
revenue.
Each week,
thousands of consumers are purchasing business, household and personal
items on the Internet. These same people now have a way to benefit
United Communities by making these purchases through the PANO mall. Just
imagine how much impact we can have in our community by taking one extra
step when shopping online.
Visit
http://pano.fundlinkllc.com/ to access all of your favorite online
retail stores Start shopping today! Enjoy your shopping experience, and
thank you for supporting United Communities.
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