[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    150TH ANNIVERSARY OF ERIE HOUSE

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, Florence Hayden Towne dedicated her 
book, ``Neighbor: Stories of Neighborhood House Work in a Great City,'' 
to the Erie Neighborhood House. She wrote, it ``brought new hope and 
courage and a new way of life these whom we call `neighbors.' '' 
Throughout its 150-year history, the Erie House has consistently 
improved the lives of low-income, immigrant families in Chicago. Though 
the people, challenges, and times may have changed, the Erie House's 
mission has remained firm. Immigrant families have always found Erie 
House to be a place that empowers them and helps creates a more engaged 
community. Today, we celebrate the great work of Erie House and 
congratulate its staff and supporters on the 150th anniversary.
  Erie Neighborhood House began as Holland Presbyterian Church on the 
corner of North Noble Street and West Erie Street in 1870. The 
congregation offered several programs, including kindergarten and 
Sunday school, to the new families arriving from Dutch, Scandinavian, 
and German countries to the West Chicago neighborhood. The congregation 
moved to 1347 West Erie Street and changed its name to Erie Chapel in 
1886. In 1893, Erie Kindergarten became one of the 20 flagship programs 
in Chicago's Free Kindergarten Association initiative and expanded 
youth programs to include choirs for children and adults and industrial 
classes.
  As the neighborhood immigrant population changed to include Catholic 
countries like Poland and Italy, Erie Chapel renamed itself the Erie 
Chapel Institute and continued to serve the community and advance the 
settlement house tradition. In 1936, the staff rechristened the 1347 
building with a new name, the Erie Neighborhood House.
  Erie Neighborhood House continued to meet the challenges of the time. 
In 1942, with the Second World War raging, Erie House began providing 
daycare services since many men were deployed overseas and many women 
had entered the workforce. In February 1945, Reverend Douglas Cedarleaf 
marched with members of Erie House to protest the treatment of the 
Strongs, a Black family that had recently moved into a White community 
and faced violence from their neighbors.
  In 1957, volunteer physicians at Northwestern Memorial and Erie 
Neighborhood House founded the Erie Family Health Center to provide a 
variety of primary care, case management, and dental services to low-
income, underinsured, and uninsured Chicagoans. Now, every year, nearly 
38,000 patients receive high-quality healthcare at the center, 
regardless of their ability to pay.
  With the crisis in housing growing in the late 1960s, Erie House 
founded the Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation to create affordable 
housing opportunities for members of the community. Since its founding, 
Bickerdike has developed more than 2,000 affordable homes for families.
  Today, the West Town and Little Village neighborhoods are primarily 
Latino, and Erie Neighborhood House is helping people with the tools 
they need to build a foundation for greater well-being. Erie House has 
hosted me several times and has been an important ally in working 
toward comprehensive immigration reform and supporting Dreamers, 
providing legal consultation and representing people in immigration and 
asylum cases.
  The blueprint created 150 years ago has evolved, but that mission has 
remained constant. Today, Erie House helps 18,000 people all across the 
city of Chicago annually. Young people and adults attend mentoring 
programs and learn about career opportunities. Families experiencing 
violence can find counseling. Erie House remains an essential ally as 
we work toward a just, inclusive society where we accept our new 
neighbors and help them achieve their potential.
  Congratulations to Erie Neighborhood House on 150 years of good work, 
giving people hope and courage.
  (At the request of Mr. Schumer, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)

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