Selected Articles, Seeking Your Opinion on the Closing of Hull House
March 1, 2012
Jane Addams Hull House suspended its operations Jan. 27, citing cuts in government funding and increased demands in services as reasons for closing. The 122-year-old organization provided foster care, domestic violence counseling, child development programs, and job training to 60,000 people each year. The closing has prompted heated discussion and worry in the nonprofit community, government, and the public at large.
See below for selected commentary and articles on what may have lead to its closing, what will happen now to those employed and served by Hull House, and how other nonprofits can endeavor to avoid a similar fate. And please let us know what you think about the closing, and what it means for your organization and the sector at large in the comments.
Lessons from Hull House's Collapse, an article from the Feb. 2 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, including tips on how nonprofits can avoid a similar situtation.
As Chicago's Hull House Closes Its Doors, Time to Revive the Settlement Model? by Louise W. Knight, author of Citizen: Jane Addams and The Struggle for Democracy and a Chicago-area consultant to nonprofits and grantmakers.
An Unequal Partnership: How Illinois is Failing Nonprofits, an opinion piece from the Feb. 8 issue of The Chicago Tribune, written by Jennifer E. Mosely, Assistant Professor at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago.
Hull House Bankrupty 'Canary in the Coal Mine,' an article from the Jan. 23 issue of Crain's Chicago Business.
Staff Floored by Hull House Closing, posted Jan. 27 on the Progress Illinois website.
What Would Founder Jane Addams Think of Hull House Demise?, an article from the Feb. 2 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Did Hull House Make a Mistake by Agressively Pursuing Government Dollars?, by Suzanne Strassberger, Director of State Government Affairs, Jewish United Fund, Jewish Federation of Metropolian Chicago, and posted Jan. 28 on the organization's website.
Some Fear Hull House Closure is an Omen for Struggling Charities, an article from the Feb. 2 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Pictured above is the original Hull House, which operates as a museum and is not closed. Find visiting hours here. Image via creative commons.