Crittenton Women's Union

Crittenton Women’s Union, a Boston, Massachusetts-based non-profit organization, combines direct service programs, independent research and public policy advocacy in its mission to transform the course of low-income women’s lives so that they can attain economic independence and create better futures for themselves and their families. Each year CWU helps more than 2,000 people through its safe housing, education and training programs, and family support services.

The organization is the product of a merger between two organizations founded in the 19th century, Crittenton Inc. and The Women's Union, that merged more than 300 years of combined service and support to better meet the needs of low-income women and their families. ^[1]

History of Crittenton Inc.

(formerly Crittenton Hastings House of the Florence Crittenton League, Inc.)

The Beginnings

In 1836, a group of pioneering women, the Boston Female Moral Reform Society, established an organization to provide temporary homes, employment assistance and guidance for young women who came to Boston from farms and foreign countries. Since the organization was not based out of a building, its members brought poor, unwed young mothers into their own homes to be cared for. This shocked many people, including some ministers, who denounced the Society's members for being “unwomanly and for daring to face the unpleasant realities of life.” For the next 45 years, however, the organization proved to be of great worth to the City of Boston, playing an important role in keeping young women off of the street, and continuing its crusade against liquor and prostitution.^[2]

In 1869, the organization changed its name to the New England Moral Reform Society ^[3] and established a maternity home and hospital in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. It was immediately filled to capacity.

In 1869, Dr. Caroline Hastings, a physician and vocal proponent of women's equality, successfully redirected the Society's energy to establish the Talitha Cumi Home, a maternity home for unwed mothers. The home was renamed The Hastings House in honor of Dr. Hastings' service.^[4]

In 1894, the Florence Crittenton League of Compassion, a national organization founded by philanthropist Charles Crittenton, set up a network of homes for unwed mothers throughout the country and began work in Boston. In 1924, the Florence Crittenton League of Boston built the Crittenton Home and Hospital in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, the current site of the Crittenton Hastings House.

With a shared commitment to serve unwed mothers and their children, the Hastings House and the Florence Crittenton League formally merged in 1948 to become the Crittenton Hastings House. The expanded mission was to provide housing, maternal and infant care, adoption referral and training in the domestic arts. For the next several decades, the Crittenton Hastings House operated at full capacity, serving more than 400 women per year. ^[5]

Education and Health Care in the 1970s-1990s

With a change in society's view of unwed motherhood and more and more young women opting to keep their babies, in 1972, Crittenton Hastings House continued its pioneering tradition by developing alternative high school education programs, so that pregnant young women would not drop out of school.

Shortly thereafter, in 1973, amid major controversy, Crittenton Hastings House lead the fight for women's reproductive rights by opening the first fully licensed, free standing clinic in Massachusetts offering counseling and abortion services. Over the next 20 years, Crittenton maintained its commitment to ensuring choice and to preserving options for women and families by offering a broad range of primary and preventive health services. ^[6]

History of The Women’s Union

(The Women’s Educational and Industrial Union)

History In the last part of the 19th century, a dramatic immigration surge and rapid industrial growth took place in Boston. The exploitation of women and children, crowded housing and poor sanitation, and miserable labor conditions led Dr. Harriet Clisby, one of America's first women physicians, to establish the Women's Educational and Industrial Union in 1877 to respond to these social problems. ^[7]

Clisby had been holding "Sunday Meetings for Women" in her home since 1872, and it was from these meetings that WEIU evolved. Men were invited to speak at these meetings, but in 1874 members decided to restrict the meetings to women. "They felt that woman, by her organization, comes into near relation to the Infinite, and is receptive, through her spirituality, of divine truth; that she was well calculated to be the teacher to lead her sisters into that spiritual unfolding that comes to all from true seeking." ^[8]

It was not until 1903 that men were allowed to be associate members of the Union. By the beginning of the 20th century, the The Women's Union had established itself as one of Boston's primary service providers and advocacy organizations. Many of the city's most prominent women, including Abby Morton Diaz, Louisa May Alcott, and Julia Ward Howe were involved with the Union's early history. ^[9]

• In 1877, The Women's Union opened a store to help women support themselves and their families by selling crafts and foodstuffs they produced in their homes. The Shop at the Union, which closed in June 2004, carried gifts, cards, jewelry, apparel and specialty items, many of which were created by women artists and women-owned companies.
• In 1878, the Protective Committee was formed to provide free legal advice to poor and uninformed workers and to call attention to the legal rights of women and children. In 1921, the Massachusetts Legal Aid Society assumed this work after the Union stipulated that the Society hire a female attorney.
• In 1899, The Women's Union began an employment-training program for the adult blind and collected Braille books for the Boston Public Library. Four years later, the Union initiated a successful lobbying campaign to create the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. Mary Morton Kehew, then President of the Union, persuaded Helen Keller to speak to the Boston General Court about the importance of education for the blind.
• In 1905, The Women's Union began a retail training program , equipping women with skills in purchasing, accounting, and general salesmanship. Large retailers such as Filene's and Jordan Marsh hired the graduates for $6 per week. Simmons College adopted this program in 1917 and continues it today as the Prince Program in Retail Management.
• In 1907, The Women's Union took charge of the nation's first hot lunch program for public schools. Until 1944, the Union prepared up to18,000 lunches every day for Boston public school students.
• In 1910, The Women's Union established the Appointment Bureau, known nationally for its vocational advising and placement of college educated women in fields other than teaching. Aviatrix Amelia Earhart sought job placement here two years before her historic flight over the Atlantic. Since then, The Women's Union has provided career and job help to hundreds of thousands of people.
• In 1913, The Women's Union opened the country's first credit union.
• In 1916, The Women's Union opened the Bookshop for Boys and Girls. The Bookshop published the Horn Book, the first publication in America to review children's books. The Horn Book was subsequently adopted by the federal government to help with book selection for elementary schools.
• In 1930, The Women's Union founded the Bureau of the Handicapped to provide training and employment for the physically handicapped. The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission oversees this area today.
• In 1965, The Women's Union published The Guide to Nursing and Rest Homes in Massachusetts. This valuable resource has been updated periodically and is now known as the Guide to Long-Term Care Alternatives in Massachusetts.
• In 1966, The Women's Union established the Homemaker Training Program in collaboration with the Boston Public Welfare Department.
• In 1967, The Women's Union began the Companions Unlimited program to provide visiting services for the elderly and adult disabled. In 1994, the Companions Unlimited friendly visiting program was adopted by MATCH-UP, Inc.
• In 1970, The Women's Union instituted the Family Day Care Program to train women and men to become licensed home day care providers. The program was taken over by Family Day Care of Brookline and is still operating today.
• In 1982, The Women's Union began the Amelia Earhart Award to honor a woman who has significantly contributed to the expansion of opportunities for women. This award is presented annually.
• In 1985, The Women's Union launched Massachusetts' first comprehensive transitional housing program for homeless and/or battered women with children. The Horizons Housing Program is based on self-help, self-esteem, skill building, and goal setting, with the aim of independent living for the family.
• In 1992, The Women's Union implemented a job training program for employment advisors with the goal of equipping career changers, new entrants to the job market, and unemployed workers with the skills to provide job counseling to job changers.
• In 1995, The Women's Union undertook an intensive strategic planning process. The Plan for the Year 2000 renewed the Union's emphasis on advocacy for women and their families, and commits the Union's programs to the continued promotion of opportunities for all women.
• In 1996, The Women's Union successfully opened the Boston Career Link, one of Massachusetts' first One-Stop Career Centers, in partnership with Dimock Community Health Center and Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries. The Union also initiated plans for its new Work and Family Resource Center.
• In 1997, The Women's Union initiated To Market, To Market through The Shop at the Union. This economic and community development project provides women in all stages of product development with technical assistance and market access.
• In 1998, The Women's Union launched the Massachusetts Family Economic Self-Sufficiency (MassFESS) Project, a statewide coalition of organizations working to help families thrive. MassFESS released The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Massachusetts, to measure the real costs of living, working and paying taxes in the Commonwealth without subsidies.
• In 2000, The Women's Union published The Self-Sufficiency Standard: Where Massachusetts Families Stand, to make the case for helping those families achieve a family-sustaining income.
• In 2001, The Women's Union launched its Woman to Woman program, offering professional development and mentoring to low-income mothers to help them gain economic self-sufficiency while strengthening their families.
• In 2004, The Women's Union relocated to Government Center in a space that houses all program and advocacy offices, training facilities for home health care workers, conference rooms, and an on-site technology training center, which will accommodate up to 16 participants at one time. ^[10]

Merger

In July 2006, Crittenton and The Women's Union, two organizations founded in the 19th century, merged to better meet the needs of low-income women and their families.

What is Crittenton Women's Union known for?

• CWU has more than 300 years of combined service and support on behalf of low-income and at-risk women and their families.
• The Commonwealth's largest provider of transitional housing for homeless mothers and children; and started the first transitional home for domestic violence survivors in New England.
• CWU offers the opportunity for individuals to complete their education or receive further training, encouraging them to become economically independent. ^[11]

What services/programs does Crittenton Women's Union offer?

• Housing: Emergency and transitional housing; permanent housing search and placement.
• Education: Alternative high school; GED; college/career counseling.
• Workforce Development: Technology training; job-readiness; career development; professional mentoring.
• Family Support Services: Parenting education; health and wellness; early literacy; early education.
• Research and Advocacy: Designing innovative programming based on research; using our knowledge to inform public policy and achieve social change. ^[12]

Focus Areas

Today, Crittenton offers thousands of families access to programs that include housing, education and child-care, health, nutrition, parenting, and family life skills. All of these programs help young people develop the essential tools that they need to maintain stable housing, to find and retain employment, and to support the healthy growth and development of their children.

From its earliest days in the nineteenth century, Crittenton has been on the forefront of major social and economic issues of the time. It has shifted its focus from rescuing “fallen” women and promoting social purity by fostering the health of mothers, children and families. It then turned away from viewing women simply as “victims and wronged” to respecting their capacity and desire to become independent, responsible parents, and productive members of the community.

As noted by Boston Mayor Tom Menino, “Crittenton offers our young people a chance to turn their lives around. We need more Crittenton's!” ^[6]

The Amelia Earhart Award

In 1926, Amelia Earhart came to The Women’s Union for employment assistance and was placed as a social worker in a Boston immigrant settlement house. At the same time, she continued to pursue her interest in flying, and in 1928, this former Union client became the first woman to cross the Atlantic in an airplane. The Amelia Earhart Award was established in 1982 to recognize a woman who continues the pioneering spirit of Amelia Earhart. Each year, the award honors a woman who has significantly contributed to the expansion of opportunities for women. ^[13] Past Honorees:

2009 – Barbara Lynch

2008 - Suze Orman

2006 - Anna Quindlen

2005 - Susan Hockfield

2004 - Doris Kearns Goodwin

2003 - Marian Wright Edelman

2002 - Ruth Simmons

2001 - Liz Walker

2000 - Gwen Ifill

1999 - Julia Child

1998 - Evelyn Murphy

1997 - Eileen Moran Brown

1996 - Judge Joyce London Alexander

1995 - Elizabeth K. Levin

1993 - Deborah Jackson

1992 - Dr. Jane Schaller

1990 - Jovita Fontanez

1989 - Caroline Chang

1988 - Dr. Diane Balser

1987 - Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith

1986 - Juliet Brudney

1985 - Dr. Margaret Hennig and Dr. Anne Jardim

1984 - Jan Verhage

1983 - Dr. Brunetta Wolfman

1982 - Sharyn Bahn

Bibliography

Clark, Judith Freeman. "Crittenton Hastings House." Massachusetts from colony to commonwealth an illustrated history. Northridge, Calif: Windsor Publications, 1987. 304-07. Print.

Crittenton Women's Union - Helping Women and Their Families Achieve Economic Independence. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. <http://www.liveworkthrive.org>. <http://www.liveworkthrive.org/who_we_are.php>.

Deutsch, Sarah. Women and the City Gender, Space, and Power in Boston, 1870-1940. New York: Oxford UP, USA, 2002. Web. <http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~sch00215>

"Events." Crittenton Women's Union - Helping Women and Their Families Achieve Economic Independence. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. <http://www.liveworkthrive.org/events.php>.

Harth, Erica. "Founding mothers of social justice: The Women's Educational and Industrial Union of Boston, 1877-1892." Historical Journal of Massachusetts (Summer 1999). Web. 20 Oct. 2009. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3837/is_199907/ai_n8860523/?tag=content;col1>.

"Open Collections Program: Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930: Manuscripts: Women's Educational and Industrial Union." Harvard University Library: Open Collections Program: Home. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. <http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/manuscripts-institutional.html#weiu>.

"Who We Are." Crittenton Women's Union - Helping Women and Their Families Achieve Economic Independence. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.

Women's Educational and Industrial Union. A Brief History of the Women's Union. Women's Educational and Industrial Union, 2005. Print.

References

[1] Crittenton Women's Union - Helping Women and Their Families Achieve Economic Independence.

[2] Clark, Judith Freeman, "Crittenton Hastings House." Massachusetts from colony to commonwealth an illustrated history (Northridge, Calif) 304.

[3] Deutsch, Sarah, Women and the City Gender, Space, and Power in Boston, 1870-1940 (New York)

[4] Freeman 305.

[5] Ibid. 305-306.

[6] Ibid. 307.

[7] Open Collections Program: Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930: Manuscripts: Women's Educational and Industrial Union." Harvard University Library: Open Collections Program: Home.

[8] Harth, Erica, "Founding mothers of social justice: The Women's Educational and Industrial Union of Boston, 1877-1892." Historical Journal of Massachusetts.

[9] Women's Educational and Industrial Union. A Brief History of the Women's Union.

[10] Ibid.

[11] "Who We Are." Crittenton Women's Union - Helping Women and Their Families Achieve Economic Independence.

[12] "Events." Crittenton Women's Union - Helping Women and Their Families Achieve Economic Independence.