Hamilton-Madison House

Hamilton-Madison House is a voluntary, 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, United States. The neighborhood is a federally designated poverty area, with a constantly changing mixture of ethnic groups, and lack of adequate services and resources. 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. In the past 108 years, Hamilton-Madison House has developed programs that meet the changing needs of its community. In 1965, with a change in federal immigration policies, the community’s predominant immigrant became Chinese New Yorkers. Since that time, the organization’s staff has grown to include a staff of 300 who collectively speak 15 languages, including 6 Chinese dialects. Further, the House’s long-standing programs have been adapted to meet the cultural norms of this expanding population.