Hull House Is Out Of Business Friday; Associated Programs, Too

It's even worse than anyone thought.

Not only is Hull House going out of business after 122 years, but it's happening months ahead of schedule.  Friday, to be exact.

Not only are the clients and staff going to be left out in the cold, but so are some of the programs associated with Uptown's Hull House (4520 N Beacon).  A reader sent us this letter she received from the Small Business Development Center:

"Dear Clients and Friends,

As you may know, Hull House is closing its doors and the Small Business Development Center will no longer be a part of the Hull House legal entity or its operations after January 27, 2012.   We are presently assessing alternatives to continue our SBDC independently from Hull House so that we can continue to be an important small business resource for the residents of the communities we have served for the past 25 years.  Please note that our development center will need to close for an interim period for at least a week or more while we determine and reestablish our operations and mission in the way that best serves our clients, neighborhoods, and communities.

Updates will be posted at a newly created Facebook page and staff can be emailed at the emails listed below after Friday.  We are setting up a messaging service also.  We will send this information along shortly.

We have enjoyed assisting all of you, look forward to doing so in the years ahead, and will be in touch."

If anyone wants the contact emails referenced above or referrals to other SBDCs, please write to uptownupdate@hotmail.com and we'll send them to you.

We don't even want to think about what will happen to Pegasus Players, who were set to fill the performance space at Hull House recently vacated by Black Ensemble Theater.

Among the services that Uptown's Hull House provided to the community were After School Programs, Domestic Violence Counseling and Advocacy Programs, ESL Classes, and Head Start Preschool.  So many people will suffer as a result of this closure and it grieves us to see Jane Addams' legacy stop -- just like that, with less than a week's notice.  Tragic.