Jacob Riis Neighbor Settlement

The Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement began as a mission to improve the lives of the poor on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the late nineteenth century. It was co-founded by the Danish photojournalist Jacob Riis, who used his own camera to expose the squalid, dangerous conditions of city tenements. By capturing shocking images of dark, airless rooms where thousands of families struggled to survive, Riis forced the public and politicians to confront the human cost of urban poverty. His efforts eventually led to landmark housing reforms that mandated better ventilation, lighting, and sanitation in the city's apartment buildings.