Improvements for the Poor
Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.familyresourcesofpa.org/about-family-resources/Our-History
Now a dedicated leader in preventing child abuse, Family Resources traces its origins across more than 150 years, through the generous concern for human welfare displayed by generations of caring individuals. How it all began... 1861-65 In Pittsburgh, Mary Sibbet Copley, of Armstrong County, slips the ring off her finger, donates it to an appeal for sick and wounded Union soldiers. Charmed, city banker William Thaw proposes marriage. Mary accepts.
1875 During the Depression of 1873-79, Mary Copley Thaw and Louisa Hills Herron, wife of real estate magnate William A. Herron, initiate a "visitors program" to aid poor families beset by mass crowding, social problems, and ill health.
1877 Mary Thaw and Louisa Herron found the Pittsburgh Association for the Improvement of the Poor (PAIP).
1879 PAIP begins free "fresh air" excursions to the countryside for poor urban children.
1882 PAIP opens the Fresh Air Farm, a free summer camp for children, on the Ohio River at Shousetown, near present-day Leetsdale.
1886 PAIP's Oakmont Children's Summer Camp opens its gates.
1890s Social welfare reform movements gain momentum in the U.S., spurred by factors including mass migrations, the industrial revolution, and concerns for public health.
1912 PAIP establishes its original Home for Destitute Men on Pittsburgh's Stanwix Street.
1920 The PAIP Temporary Home for Children opens, providing shelter for runaways, lost children, and youngsters whose parents are unable to care for them.
1936 As hard times devastate the nation, PAIP's Family Welfare and Relief Department supplies food, shelter, and support. Encouraging healthy recreation for children, "Camp Skyline" playground opens atop the PAIP men's shelter building in the Hill District.
1937 PAIP opens free Fresh Air Camp, Warrendale, Pa.
1950s Pittsburgh's Renaissance and urban renewal change the face of the city. Old neighborhoods are disrupted; affluent populations shift toward suburbs.
1960s Social Security, Medicare, and other programs expand; national social-services organizations proliferate. PAIP begins to reconsider its role in the community.
1963 A PAIP survey assesses societal change at mid-century, highlighting aging population, job loss, and advancing technology as factors soon to challenge the community.
1970s Family Retreat Center activities begin at Warrendale Fresh Air Camp.
1975 Allegheny County Children and Youth Services, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, the Juvenile Court of Allegheny County, and The Children's Home jointly form the Parental Stress Center.
1977 PAIP closes historic shelter for homeless men in Pittsburgh's Strip District.
1978 The Southwestern Pennsylvania chapter of Parents Anonymous, later to evolve into the Child Abuse Prevention Center, meets for the first time.
1980s Pittsburgh and surrounding communities feel the pinch as steel industry fades.
1982 The Parental Stress Center incorporates as an independent, community-owned not-for-profit organization.
1986 Charlotte Murray's $2 million bequest; PAIP and Child Abuse Prevention Center merge to form Family Resources
1996 Fresh Air Camp, still operating as part of Family Resources, serves 3,000 children, primarily from poor, working families, in just one summer.
1996 The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act sets welfare cutoff deadlines for thousands of families. Some parents, returning to work or entering job training programs, must leave children at home unsupervised after school or on weekends.
2004 The Beverly Jewel Wall Lovelace Children's Program, an after-school program for children growing up in public and subsidized housing, becomes affiliated with Family Resources.
2006 Fresh Air Camp reconstruction begins, making way for expanded Family Retreat Center activities. This summer alone, 8,000 children participate
2008 Reconstruction of Retreat Center finished. The nation sinks into recession. Economic pressures increase stress levels for families throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.
2010 Family Resources acquires the Parental Stress Center, incorporating new facilities as well as programs such as Visitation Services at Family Resources, Safe Families, and Family Unification Services.
1875 During the Depression of 1873-79, Mary Copley Thaw and Louisa Hills Herron, wife of real estate magnate William A. Herron, initiate a "visitors program" to aid poor families beset by mass crowding, social problems, and ill health.
1877 Mary Thaw and Louisa Herron found the Pittsburgh Association for the Improvement of the Poor (PAIP).
1879 PAIP begins free "fresh air" excursions to the countryside for poor urban children.
1882 PAIP opens the Fresh Air Farm, a free summer camp for children, on the Ohio River at Shousetown, near present-day Leetsdale.
1886 PAIP's Oakmont Children's Summer Camp opens its gates.
1890s Social welfare reform movements gain momentum in the U.S., spurred by factors including mass migrations, the industrial revolution, and concerns for public health.
1912 PAIP establishes its original Home for Destitute Men on Pittsburgh's Stanwix Street.
1920 The PAIP Temporary Home for Children opens, providing shelter for runaways, lost children, and youngsters whose parents are unable to care for them.
1936 As hard times devastate the nation, PAIP's Family Welfare and Relief Department supplies food, shelter, and support. Encouraging healthy recreation for children, "Camp Skyline" playground opens atop the PAIP men's shelter building in the Hill District.
1937 PAIP opens free Fresh Air Camp, Warrendale, Pa.
1950s Pittsburgh's Renaissance and urban renewal change the face of the city. Old neighborhoods are disrupted; affluent populations shift toward suburbs.
1960s Social Security, Medicare, and other programs expand; national social-services organizations proliferate. PAIP begins to reconsider its role in the community.
1963 A PAIP survey assesses societal change at mid-century, highlighting aging population, job loss, and advancing technology as factors soon to challenge the community.
1970s Family Retreat Center activities begin at Warrendale Fresh Air Camp.
1975 Allegheny County Children and Youth Services, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, the Juvenile Court of Allegheny County, and The Children's Home jointly form the Parental Stress Center.
1977 PAIP closes historic shelter for homeless men in Pittsburgh's Strip District.
1978 The Southwestern Pennsylvania chapter of Parents Anonymous, later to evolve into the Child Abuse Prevention Center, meets for the first time.
1980s Pittsburgh and surrounding communities feel the pinch as steel industry fades.
1982 The Parental Stress Center incorporates as an independent, community-owned not-for-profit organization.
1986 Charlotte Murray's $2 million bequest; PAIP and Child Abuse Prevention Center merge to form Family Resources
1996 Fresh Air Camp, still operating as part of Family Resources, serves 3,000 children, primarily from poor, working families, in just one summer.
1996 The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act sets welfare cutoff deadlines for thousands of families. Some parents, returning to work or entering job training programs, must leave children at home unsupervised after school or on weekends.
2004 The Beverly Jewel Wall Lovelace Children's Program, an after-school program for children growing up in public and subsidized housing, becomes affiliated with Family Resources.
2006 Fresh Air Camp reconstruction begins, making way for expanded Family Retreat Center activities. This summer alone, 8,000 children participate
2008 Reconstruction of Retreat Center finished. The nation sinks into recession. Economic pressures increase stress levels for families throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.
2010 Family Resources acquires the Parental Stress Center, incorporating new facilities as well as programs such as Visitation Services at Family Resources, Safe Families, and Family Unification Services.