Build The House

Creating a Social Settlement House for the 21st Century

It’s time to Build The House.

@The House, inc., is seeking operational and capital funding to make its vision of a Social Settlement House for the 21st Century a reality.

In partnership with Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc (CHAI) and RM Sovich Architecture, we’ve developed plans to create a building at 5345 Denmore Avenue, a vacant city-owned lot in a perfect location to serve the Arlington community — close to public transportation and within walking distance to Arlington Elementary School. 

Consistent with the founding principles of the early social settlement houses of the late 19th- and early 20th-centuries, the building will be intentionally designed to feel like a house — not like a government agency or institution — with the flexibility to meet the needs of families and children based on different programming and times of the year. 

With your help, Build The House will be Baltimore’s first Social Settlement House for the 21st Century, and serve as a national model for urban community development, outreach, and empowerment.

Build The House Programming

The facility’s flexible, handicap-accessible design will accommodate a wide range of services, including:

• After school tutoring
• Job readiness training and additional educational supports
• Family case management services
• A food pantry 
• Laundry and bathing facilities

In addition, a podcast studio will allow students to learn how to create and record music, create and manage podcasts, and communicate with community members through broadcasting — bringing the social settlement house firmly into the 21st century.