Final answer:
Settlement houses were established in the late 1800s by social reformers such as Jane Addams, Lillian Wald, and Ellen Gates Starr to aid working-class women and the urban poor.
Step-by-step explanation:
Settlement houses were founded in the late 1800s by social reformers. These reformers, such as the notable Jane Addams, Lillian Wald, and Ellen Gates Starr, were primarily middle- and upper-class women who were at the forefront of the early progressive reform movement. Inspired by similar efforts in Europe, they established settlement houses to improve the conditions of the urban poor, particularly to aid working-class women. Services offered included childcare, education, health care, and legal aid. The famous Hull House in Chicago, opened by Jane Addams in 1889, is an example of these types of community support centers that proliferated across America, contributing to social work and helping immigrants and the working poor.