Breaking Down Barriers: Lutheran Settlement House

COVID-19 has highlighted disparities in marginalized communities, exacerbating issues that were already in dire need of addressing prior to the pandemic. Just last month out of the 140,000 jobs lost in December, all of them were held by women. Also, homeless people are one of the most vulnerable populations in the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they have been largely invisible victims of the crisis. In addition, stay at home orders have left survivors of domestic violence in dangerous situations preventing access to resources and assistance. These issues and more have only been amplified by the impact of COVID-19, but in reality, these populations were in crisis long before the pandemic.

As the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on vulnerable communities continues to ravish, Lutheran Settlement House, an Immediate Response Action Fund (IRAF) grantee, has amplified their programming and initiatives to address the urgent needs of their community. Established in 1902, Lutheran Settlement House (LSH) is a non-profit, community-based organization committed to serving vulnerable children, adults, and families living in Philadelphia. Serving over 5,000 women, men, and children each year, they focus on four program areas: Adult Education and Employment, Domestic Violence, Senior Services, and Homeless Services.

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with David Chiles, Executive Director of Lutheran Settlement House to discuss the importance of their work and the critical needs of the communities they serve. David touches on the pandemic’s impact on homelessness and domestic violence while highlighting the importance of changing the narrative in these issues to shift philanthropy to better serve vulnerable communities impacted by systemic barriers.

Read the full post here.