
As the city and community have changed over the last century and a half, so have we. What began as a church evolved to become the now oldest operating settlement house in the city. Through these programs, we empower the people we work alongside to build powerful communities. Since 1870, Erie Neighborhood House has provided the most comprehensive support immigrant and low-income families in Chicago need to thrive and has constantly evolved to meet their needs.
& Youth
We equip our community with the tools and information needed to thrive in the face of adversity, including “Know Your Rights” trainings and direct outreach. We make a healthy lifestyle more accessible with workshops, support groups, and counseling, all through a trauma-informed and culturally-sensitive lens. Crain's Chicago Business named Kirstin to its 40 Under 40 list in 2018 and she was a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, Class of 2019.
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History
Cristina De La Rosa became Erie House's 10th executive director after serving as Senior Director of Programs. Before coming to Erie House in 2011, she worked for 7 years at the Chicago Federation of Labor as a program coordinator and case manager. Leslie Okamura directs a finance department that manages a $9 million annual budget comprised of private and public revenue streams. She came to Erie House in 2013, having worked previously at Casa Central Social Services in the world of corporate finance. Melissa Flores oversees all 12 programs at Erie House and works alongside program leadership on strategic planning, identifying and achieving outcomes and managing grant funding. She previously served as Dean of Adult Education at Richard J. Daley College, one of the 7 City Colleges of Chicago (CCC).
OUR MISSION
Mexicans were already in the neighborhood and connecting to Erie House by the 1970s. But Mexican immigration increased precipitously following the Immigration Reform & Control Act of 1986, which opened a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. By 2000, there were an estimated eleven million undocumented immigrants in the US, mostly from Mexico. Mexican immigration to Chicago eventually surpassed the previous record-breaking Polish immigration already mentioned.
Board of Directors
Prior to joining Erie House in 2019, Michelle worked in regional human resources for retail stores at O'Hare Airport, Midway Airport, Ogilvie Station, and 2 warehouses. She also has experience with workforce development through Skills for Chicagoland and the CARA Foundation. He joined Erie House in 2007 and has served as education programs coordinator, assistant director of YOU and director of YOU. We are the oldest settlement house still operating in Chicago, having worked alongside folks across the city for a century and a half. From those early days as “the little Dutch church” in West Town to the widespread impact we make today, our history is shaped by the immigrant experience—marked by struggle, resilience, and hope—that is such an inseparable part of Chicago's identity. Our in-house team of attorneys and legal representatives help their clients navigate the US citizenship and immigration system, keeping families together, and allowing them to achieve a greater sense of security.
Second site in West Town
Since 1870, Erie Neighborhood House has provided the most comprehensive support immigrant and low-income communities need to thrive. We’ve constantly evolved over the last 150 years to meet our community where they are and provide the support they need the most. Erie House responds to the coronavirus pandemic with expanded virtual programming, a safe return for children and youth, and a Community Relief Fund to provide direct financial assistance to participants.

They built and worshipped at Holy Innocents Church, just two blocks from Erie House where they learned English. The organization also has locations in Little Village and Humboldt Park. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Erie House begins delivering "Know Your Rights" training to the community.
Rev. Douglas Cedarleaf marches with Erie House participants in solidarity with an African American family who had been harassed upon moving to West Town. Florence Towne begins her 37-year tenure at Erie House, serving as teacher, girls' group leader, and head resident. Erie Kindergarten is one of twenty flagship programs in Chicago's Free Kindergarten Association.
Florence Towne arrived at Erie as the kindergarten teacher and head girls resident in 1914 and went on to spend 25 years in the role of director of Erie Chapel Institute. The Carmella Jacob Clinic (which will later be renamed as Erie Family Health), staffed by Northwestern University medical students, is established to serve low-income families. Browse photos from our archives and explore the timeline below to journey through our over 150-year-long history.
Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. The group operates the house on Erie Street as well as its Erie Neighborhood House Center at 1701 W. During the 2020 Census, Erie House’s community outreach team used digital outreach, car caravans and socially-distanced outdoor events to connect with nearly 350,000 people to encourage them to be counted.
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As the city and its immigrant populations changed over the years, so did Erie House. While founded in the settlement house tradition, today, we are a modern social services nonprofit providing the most comprehensive support immigrant and low-income families need to thrive. And finally, we’ve continued to grow and evolve to provide what our community needed the most. In 1996, we opened a community technology center to provide new education and professional development opportunities for our participants in a rapidly changing world. In recent years, we’ve responded to our immigrant community’s concerns by providing “Know Your Rights” trainings and expanding our Legal Services department.
He returned to Chicago as an adult and settled himself and his wife in West Town, the successor neighborhood to Lincoln Park for Chicago’s Puerto Rican community. The Gutierrez family was a good example of what Gina Perez has called the “va y ven”/ “go & come” pattern of Puerto Rican migration, in her book The Near Northwest Side Story. Sixteen years later, in 1886, the congregation moved a half block east to 1347 W. In 1893, it was selected as one of 20 founding members of Chicago's Free Kindergarten Association. Erie Chapel expanded facilities at its new location two years later to accommodate its growing youth programs, choirs for children and adults, and industrial classes. Equipping children and youth with tools and resources to support a bright future.
To empower our community—Latinx immigrants alongside individuals and families of all backgrounds—through education, access to critical services and advocacy, working together to create a just and inclusive society. Through foundational academic and professional programs like ESL, civics education, workforce development, and more, we provide the tools adults need for long-term success. Michelle Peyton oversees human resources functions for all 150 employees at Erie House. She specializes in employee relations and labor relations, and her HR career spans more than 2 decades in union and non-union settings.
Our wraparound services ensure lifelong success, keep families together, and help communities thrive. The agency's TEAM mentoring program boasts extremely high graduation and college placement rates for its participants and has placed significant emphasis on preparing students for careers in STEM fields. Today, Erie House is a modern social services nonprofit with programming and resources for children & youth, mental health & community wellness, adult education & training, legal services, and more. Erie House was originally founded as a “little Dutch Church” in West Town with a focus on serving the area’s immigrant population.
Kirstin has served as a tireless advocate for the mission of Erie House and brings with her a strong background in nonprofit administration and strategic fundraising. She also has extensive experience working with the agency's strategic partners both across the city of Chicago and at the national level. Through each wave of immigration, the leadership of Erie had become aware of Jane Addams’ work, recognized its value, and incorporated its methodologies into its support of the community. But the foundation of “the House” had been laid years earlier by the Presbyterian church on the corner. This work was started by a small mission church, called Holland Presbyterian, in 1870, when Ulysses Grant was still President and Chicago was only thirty-three years old.
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