Else Federn 

1874, Vienna – 1946, Bristol

In 1901, Else Federn founded the Settlement in Ottakring, a neighborhood center that aimed to encourage people affected by poverty to help themselves. She led the social project and was well-connected within the international settlement movement. She published on the topic of welfare in media of the bourgeois women’s movement.

In 1938, she witnessed the end of her life’s work: the organization was dissolved and all employees were dismissed.

After fleeing to England she found refuge in a settlement in Bristol, where she was cared for until her death. Settlements are now considered precursors to community work in social work.