By the 1920's, services had expanded to include casework and counseling for delinquents, manual training, a garden and household school, free reading supervised by neighborhood residents, English classes, a kindergarten, Well-Baby Clinic, and a dispensary where tonsils were removed for a dime.

In 1925, the pool and handball courts were added to the building. Most programs and services continued through the depression and the Second World War. However, by the end of the 1940's, the immigrant population had greatly declined and the recreational activities began to be the focal point of the Agency.

1950's - This decade was a time of great change for the Agency and the neighborhood it served. The physical form of the area changed with the building of Harbor Drive, the freeway and the widening of Front Avenue. Access to the building was restricted and the neighborhoods and the people that used the facility began to change - almost overnight it seemed.

1955 - A study was completed on the Agency and its mission. As a result, a newly incorporated Board of Directors was formed and the National Council of Jewish Women "donated" the building (for $1 a year) as a non-sectarian community center. Over the next three years, the agency expanded its recreational membership to the entire metropolitan area.

1970's - During these years, the Agency began to turn its emphasis back to providing social services to only the Southwest Neighborhoods. The efforts of the task force culminated in the fall of 1973 when the Board charged the Program Committee with the task of preparing for Board review a new mission statement, goals and objectives for the Agency services. Major changes included the closure of the pool, the end of the recreational membership program and the implementation of a social service emphasis in programming.

As the Agency returned to its settlement house roots, it became more and more obvious that this was truly a decade of redirection and change. The need to move its base in order to serve a greater population became apparent.

The final link with the past was broken in 1979 when the Board took steps to move the Agency from its safe harbor with the National Council of Jewish Women into the neighborhoods it served.

1980's - A five year plan was adopted in the Spring of 1980 which would set the Agency in a direction of becoming once again a resource to all people in its service area. Goals were established that included three main areas that would affect the service delivery of the Agency for the years to come.

1981 - Expansion of the service district to move beyond the immediate neighborhood and serve those areas in southwest Multnomah County where the access to service was limited or non-existent.

1982 - Develop and open a Senior Center that would be compatible with the service goals of the Agency where all elderly, well, frail and impaired would have a place of their own.

1983 - Purchase of a permanent home for the Agency. The need to be in the center of the service area rather than the fringe brought the Agency to Multnomah Village.

In 1990, the Neighborhood House Children's Center at Hillsdale Terrace was opened to provide quality and affordable child care to low-income families whose parents were working, attending school, or enrolled in training programs.

In 1992, the Agency's preschool program was awarded a contract to become an Oregon Prekindergarten Program through the Oregon State Department of Education. This contract increased the number of services available to young children and their families.

In 1993, the Agency was awarded a contract from the Multnomah County Youth Program Office to provide services to at-risk youth and children residing in West Portland. Services provided to West Portland are done in conjunction with Friendly House located in Northwest Portland.

In 1993, the Agency opened Neighborhood Place, a part-time day respite center for older adults with dementia related conditions (i.e. Alzheimer's ...).

In 1994, the Agency opened Neighborhood House Parent/Child Development Center, serving young children 0-3 years of age and offering parenting skills classes, counseling and parent support groups. The Agency also developed a computerized information gathering system to better visualize the demographics of its clientele and the services provided.

In 1995, the Agency embarked on a Capital Campaign to consolidate all programs for families and youth into one facility.

In 1996, the Agency initiated Gingerbread Kingdom at Pioneer Place, a fund-raising and publicity event.

In December of 1997, the Agency was forced to close Neighborhood Place for financial reasons.

In 1998, the Oregon Head Start Prekindergarten Program received an expansion grant to expand services into Northwest Portland in collaboration with Friendly House.

The return to the settlement house approach to services has brought about a tremendous growth for the Agency. The scope of service delivery, the expertise of the Board and Staff and the remarkable support in the community flows from this growth. Programs change as needs change and different priorities are identified. The Agency's history is full of responsiveness to change and flexible programming.

As the Agency moves into the 21st century, the legacy its history leaves to the existing and future Boards of Directors is a commitment to a continuation of this process, summarized in an excerpt from the Corporation By-Laws.

Neighborhood House, Inc. is a community service agency serving Southwest Multnomah County. The purpose of the agency is to:

Give children a good start,
provide hope for families, and
maintain the dignity of older persons
in order to
"Help People Help Themselves".

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