History

settlement house roots

BFNC was founded by the 1981 merger of two of Buffalo's oldest settlement houses, Westminster Community House and Neighborhood House Association, founded in 1893 and 1894, respectively.

The settlement houses were formed to address problems of a modernizing America - urbanization, immigration and industrialization.  Buffalo had doubled in size in less than two decades. More people meant more houses, more school children, more poverty, more crime, and more demands on existing public and private charitable institutions.  It was a time when non-English speaking immigrants became the scapegoats for all the ills of late-nineteenth-century America.

Reformers in the churches, increasingly aware of conditions among the lower classes and especially among immigrants, began to concentrate on finding ways to solve the social problems of the day.  Their goal was to eliminate suffering, injustice, and bigotry in the community.

During the Panic of 1893, the Charity Organization Society of Buffalo found itself unable to meet the needs of the poor of the city.  In the winter, they called a meeting of the churches to discuss ways and means of providing for the needy.  The resulting Charity Organization Society's Church Districting Plan divided the city into districts.  Each church was given oversight of needy families in one or more of these districts.

Westminster House

 At this time, Dr. Samuel Van Vranken Holmes of Westminster Presbyterian Church accepted responsibility for the district centered on Monroe Street and its surrounding neighborhoods. On September 17, 1894, Westminster House officially opened its doors to the community with Miss Emily S. Holmes named as head worker.

Activities included a Free Kindergarten, a Sewing School, boys and girls clubs, a Penny Poor Fund, a Mothers' Meeting (later known as the Housekeepers' Club), the Men's Social Science Club, a Relief Department, District Nursing, and Friendly Visiting.  The House later added a gymnasium, a billiard room, and a reading room with a library. In 1910, a new club house was built on the original Monroe Street site, which still stands today as Westminster Community House.

Neighborhood House

Neighborhood House was begun in 1894 by Miss Elizabeth Williams, founder of the Fitch Creche, a predecessor to day care centers. Miss Williams called upon needy families.  Her discovery of a nearly destitute widow and her little girls, wanting nothing more than books to read, led to the establishment of a small reading room. The site grew in popularity and by 1894 Miss Williams was asking the congregation of the Unitarian Church to help her find larger space. Over the next 60 years the house moved several times until it reached its last and current location at 76 Orange Street in 1954. 

In October, 1902, Neighborhood House Association was incorporated, with the mission of "carrying on settlement work and thus contributing to the moral, mental, and physical improvement of mankind."  The house would provide educational and social services to meet the needs of the people.

Through the years

Both Westminster House and Neighborhood House adapted over the years to keep up with the changing community.  They gave up their kindergartens, Relief Departments, and Westminster's Penny Provident Bank, but continued Boy Scouts and Camp Fire Girls while developing new programs to respond to emerging needs.  After World War I there were few new immigrants to the area, but there was a significant migration of African Americans from the southern states.  Following World War II the face of the city changed again, as middle-class white Americans moved to the suburbs. By 1957 Neighborhood House's annual report noted the problems of high population movement, overcrowding, property deterioration, violations of housing codes, and unrest among residents. 

The neighborhood houses continued to evolve, keeping their focus on social change. Today BFNC continues to provide a wide range of services, from after school and summer programs for youngsters, to pregnancy prevention and summer employment programs for youth, support for those challenged by mental health and substance abuse problems, and a senior citizens center. The organization is always mindful of its mission, to "prepare, equip and empower individuals to address life management issues and to improve the quality of life in their communities."         

BFNC Today

BFNC now operates with a budget of just over $6 million dollars based on government grants, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), fees for services, and public and private donations.  This includes $72,000 from the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County to support the Moot Senior Center.  The agency employs more than125 full- and part-time employees at six office and/or program sites.  It is governed by a 14-member Board of Directors.  In 2009 BFNC programs assisted 7,200 persons of diverse ages and needs.

Our Mission

BFNC's mission is to prepare, equip and empower individuals to address life management issues, thereby helping them achieve their full potential while improving the quality of life in our community.

Our Vision

BFNC plays a major role in ensuring anyone in Western New York who needs help and has no place to turn, or who has had trouble accessing services, has a trusted place to go for assistance in moving toward maximum independence.  We are particularly proud of our expertise in service to persons of color, the economically disadvantaged, and persons with chronic and persistent mental illness. 

Leadership

Jan Peters: Executive Director
John Reindl: President, Board of Directors

Board:

1st Vice President: Verna Morton
2nd Vice President: Eugene Partridge
Treasurer: Christopher Ruminski, CPA
Secretary: Carlos Fletcher

Members:

Esterphine Greene, LMSW
William G. Hamilton
Dr. Wesley Hicks, Jr.
Robert Huggins
Omar P. Price, Esq.
Charles Syms LMSW
Renata Toney

Financials:

BFNC operates with a budget of just over $6 million dollars from:
Government grants
Medicaid
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Fees for services
Public and private donations
View our financial statements (IRS Form 990) for more information.

For more information, view our brochure.