Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-04

| Washington is very similar to that in al
| our large cities. The Associated Chair
ties here occupy the same position al
| the Charity Organization Society of New
York, the bureau Of charities of Chicago
the Society for Organizing Charity OF
Philadelphia. the Associated Charities OF
Boston and the Charity Organization So
ciety of Baltimore. All these societies
are doing practically similar work
Primarily. they are not relief agencies
IN the usual acceptance of that term, but
are societies for the organization of char
ity. They serve as a clearing house and
central registration bureau for the use
OF all the local charities, relief agencies
and the churches Their work is that OF
personal service TO the poor This per-
sonal service takes many forms. but the
! underlying aim is the rehabilitation of
needy families. This is accomplished by
these organizations through very care
fu study or diagnosis or the various and
immediate causes of distress as they ap-
pear upon careful investigation by trained
social workers. Having ascertained what
influences have served TO reduce a par
ticular family to state of need, the at
tempt is made to bring to bear upon the
family every possible resource that will
serve to reinstate IL a relf-supporting.
self-respecting unit of society. In this
process relief is freely used as needed to
accomplish the end. This relief is not
drawn. as rule. from the general treas
ury of any Of the societies whose names
are cited above. but each and all of them
have recourse to special funds or to al
lied relief agencies which are working
hand in hand with them.
Draws on Several Funds.
'Tn Washington. for example. the Asso-
ciated Charities has for many years
drawn upon the funds of the Citizens Re
lief Association for food fuel, clothing
and other forms OF material assistance
as these have been found necessary to
meet the emergent wants of applicants.
Where 1t is a question of rent, clothing
children for school making loans, spe-
cial funds are raised by the Associated
Charities. These are known as the golden
book funds, general or special, the school
clothing fund. the needy hour loan fund.
etc. AS will be seen from pages 10 and 20
of the annual report OF the Associated
Charities for 1908. to which you refer, the
total disbursements from these various
funds amounted TO over $1,000. These
amounts do not appear In the report OF
the general treasury, page IA In passing,
permit TO say that the amount OF dis
bursements. S2l 2ss.26, includes cash
balance and gross expenditures. The net
expenses of the Associated Charities last
year amounted to less than ST. For
this expenditure the Associated Charities
furnishd the following service to the COM
munity:
"A central bureau of registration or
clearing house for the use of the citizens
of Washington interested in needy fam
lilies This bureau registered 2S62 new
cases last year I'm addition to 20.247 cases
previously record. BY consulting these
files. much duplication and waste OF char
liable effort on behalf of needy families
are avoided and unity of action on the
part of all persons charitabiy interested
In given family may be secured
Offices With Trained Workers.
Maintains eight division offices with a
trained worker in charge of each. These
stations are open daily from IL to 1890
and serve as general application bureaus
| FOR the several sections of the city in
| which they are located. Each of these
trained agents has at her command the
division conference or group of philan-
thropic men and women who meet weekly
or fortnehtly TO advise with her respect
ing plans for the families under her care
| In The execution Of these plans churches
employers and relatives who have any