Charity and Social Reform

Riis examines the role of charitable organizations, model tenement projects, and the need for systemic reform, arguing that material improvement must precede moral uplift.

The chapter details the citizens' movement, Board of Health actions, and legislative efforts to improve tenement housing.

The chapter highlights the work of the Foundling Asylum, Sister Irene's Asylum, and the Five Points institutions as efforts to combat child suffering.

The Children's Aid Society and philanthropists like Mrs. Astor are central, providing lodging, education, and opportunities for self-help, emphasizing reform over pauperizing charity.

Working girls' clubs, unions, and societies are forming; unselfish women advocate for justice and better conditions.