Our History

For over 130 years, East Side House Settlement has been a beacon of hope for people in need.  East Side House Settlement was founded in 1891 on the Upper East Side House of Manhattan by a philanthropic lawyer, Everett Wheeler. Wheeler a small group of volunteers “settled" in the Upper East Side in the mission to serve the community through education. In 1963, The East Side House Settlement Board of Managers made the courageous decision to move East Side House to the South Bronx, where the need was the greatest. 

By serving those most in need, a once daring experiment has lasted the test of time with a record of commitment to addressing the needs of struggling communities.

Today, although East Side House remains headquartered in the South Bronx, we serve communities throughout the Bronx and Northern Manhattan. 

Now serving more than 10,000 children and families annually, East Side House has come a long way since it opened the doors to its original frame house residence on 76th Street. With a shared love for community and lifelong learning, East Side House has a longstanding partnership with the New York City Department of Education – formally solidified in 1999. With a culture of empathy and teamwork, East Side House remains a dedicated pillar of the community and provides services to the youngest to the oldest members of families in order to provide transformational educational resources.

What have we learned? Devotion works. From graduates to internships, employment, and literacy, we celebrate the accomplishments of the community we serve every day. We hold a Charity Navigator 4/4-star rating for six consecutive years (a distinction only shared by 5% of rated agencies).  Additionally, we are honored to be named an official model for best practices in family engagement by the National Head Start Association and were also named Agency of the Month in 2015 by the New York Non-Profit Press.

East Side House has been and will remain committed to our mission to work with vulnerable families and partner with schools and city agencies to advocate for meaningful, lasting change.