Hamilton-Madison House

Hamilton-Madison House is a 501(C)(3), non-profit settlement house dedicated to improving the quality of life of its community, primarily that of the Two Bridges/Chinatown area of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The neighborhood is a federally designated poverty area, with a constantly changing mixture of ethnic groups, which historically lacked adequate community services and programs. An average income of a family living in the area is $17,000. Further, more than 25% of the seniors live on less than $15,000 a year, of which 40% goes toward housing. Over the past 127 years, Hamilton-Madison House has offered social services, educational and healthcare programs that meet the changing community needs. Initially, the organization supported mostly Irish, Italian and Jewish immigrant communities but as immigration demographics have changed, so too have the demographics for the community that Hamilton-Madison House supports. From 1965, and after a change in federal immigration policies, the community's predominant immigrants became Chinese New Yorkers. The organization's staff has grown to include a staff of 300 who collectively speak 15 languages, including 6 Chinese dialects. Further, Hamilton-Madison House’s long-standing programs have been adapted to meet the cultural norms of this expanding population.