History

Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses is based on a settlement house model of services:

“…the aim of the settlement or neighborhood house is to bring about a new kind of community life…It is in the community or neighborhood that people seek and fight for solutions to their concrete, daily, local and immediate problems. Although the community remains the focus of the settlement’s attention, it is through the personalized and direct involvement with the individual, in the context of the family—often throughout a lifetime—that the settlement fosters and supports the values of fellowship and mutual support.”
—Mary Kingsbury Simkhovitch

Founding of Findlay Street Neighborhood House

January 2, 1945

Findlay Street Neighborhood House was founded as a settlement house and neighborhood center. It is located in a building owned by St. Barnabas Episcopal Church at the intersection of Findlay Street and Baymiller Street. The Neighborhood House provided social services to predominantly low-income African American families living in the West…

Merger with East End’s River Neighbors House

December 21, 1961

The Findlay Street Neighborhood House merged with the East End’s River Neighbors House. The East End’s River Neighbors House was a social service agency for East End Caucasion families. The merger’s objective was to “realize anticipated advantages in economy of finances and staff skills.” The hope was to increase service…

Merger with Avondale’s Neighborhood House

December 21, 1962

Avondale merged with the Neighborhood House. This same year the Neighborhood Houses partnered with the College Hill, Heberle, Hays Porter, and other schools.

Neighborhood House expanded

December 21, 1977

The Neighborhood House explanded to include Lincoln Heights, Woodlawn, and Lockland.

Capital Campaign

December 21, 1988

A successful campaign raised $875,000 to add a separate counseling center and corporate office, remodel the main building, and renovate the Ruth Steiner Community Center on Ezzard Charles Drive.

Neighborhood Houses added Victims Advocacy Services

January 7, 1992

The Neighborhood House began providing crime victims advocacy services through a federally-funded, state managed grant.

Neighborhood Houses Launched Community Child Care

October 6, 1992

The Neighborhood House launched a program to train and certify community child care workers that helped home child care providers to participate in the State childcare voucher program.

New Neighborhood House Leadership Team

January 14, 2014

The new Neighborhood House Leadership team coalesced by combining the most dedicated and engaged ongoing volunteers with new ones. This joint team spent over a thousand hours creating total financial transparency, securing earned and unearned revenue income to maintain the Center’s facility and programs and services.

New Executive Director

July 8, 2015

Ms. Alexis Kidd became the full-time Executive Director.

Creation of the Quality of Life Plan

August 18, 2015

With the partner of LISC and the Community Building Institute, the Neighborhood House was established as the West End Community Development Corporation. As the West End CDC, the neighborhood established the West End Speaks quality of life plan. The purpose of the plan was to present the issues and concerns…

W.E. Speaks Plan Completed and Approved

May 10, 2016

W.E. Speaks plan was completed and approved by both the West End Community Council and the city of Cincinnati.

West End named a Place Matters Neighborhood

October 11, 2016

Place Matters goal is to improve the quality of life in the community in holistic and comprehensive ways.

Center Makeover

December 4, 2017

New Skate Rink HGC Construction supported a makeover to the Center by repairing the roof, replacing the carpet and paint, remodeling the Teen Center and lower level multipurpose room, and purchasing a new boxing ring.

West End selected for Cincinnati’s Neighborhood Enhancement Program

December 5, 2017

West End was selected for Cincinnati’s Neighborhood Enhancement Program. The 90-blitz of city services concentrated on building code enforcement, finding and cooling crime hot spots, beautifying public spaces, and cleaning streets. The program also replaced the floor in the lower level in order for it to be used as a…

Community Land Cooperative joins the Neighborhood House

December 5, 2017

The Community Land Cooperative of Cincinnati (CLCC) is a community land trust removes land and housing from the usual real estate market and then leases or sells the housing to residents at affordable prices.

Begin of Trauma Recovery Center

December 12, 2017

Trama Recovery Center Funds were rewarded to the Neighborhood House from the State of Ohio to bring a Trauma Recovery Center.

Finding Kenyon-Barr

March 6, 2018

Finding Kenyon-Barr The Neighborhood House hosted the “Finding Kenyon-Barr” exhibit. Finding Kenyon-Barr project was an exhibit of photos from the Cincinnati Museum Center archive that displayed the demolition of over 2,600 buildings and 7,000 housing units with the construction of two main thoroughfares.