The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-05
BULLETIN No. 3
Reducing the Human Scrap Heap
BY
Preventing Permanent Dependency.
AN ILLUSTRATION

4 When the relief visitor called she found the
twins six months DID, suffering from manutrition.
\ The rooms filthy.
q The husband was idle and the woman was in.
different.
4 The mother and children made dolls hammocks
for 40 cents hundred.
I The services of doctor and nurse and special
nourishrnent we're provided for the babies.
u Groceries ordered for the family.
4 Work was secured for the man. but he refused
to do it, feigning illness.
Z The mother kept the children away from school
for no reason and did not take the twins to the
dispensary, as instructed.
4 The family continued to live in filth the parents
showing no inclination to help themselves.
4 Severe measures had to be adopted by the
visitor.
Z The family notified that further help would
be refused until the children were sent to school
and the twins were taken to the dispensary.
The church Of which the father and mother were
members promised to pay one months rent and to
buy shoes and clothing for the children.
The agent of the tenement said the husband had
worked steadily until his strength gave out.
4 Enforced idleness had discouraged him.
Z After that it was the old story-indifference.
drink, poverty and a lowering Of the standards OF
the whole family
children, but became discouraged finally.
4 The visitor appealed to him to give the family
more trial under her direction, and he
sented.
4 When the visitor called the next time she found
the fiat in an amazingly clean condition
Z The husband had secured job as porter through
the agent Of the house.
4 The children were clean and attending school.
. From that time the family improved rapidly.
The wife washed off the walls in her fiat and the
husband polished the furniture.
4 To encourage them the agent of the house gave
the husband months rent and the church paid
another.
4 The beer pail disappeared from the dinner table.
= The husband told the visitor that he had learned
the "lesson Of his life and promised he would
never drink or loaf again.
4 And he has kept his promise
4 That Christmas the Association sent some dishes
and bedding and oilcloth for the kitchen.
4 The agent of the tenement bought new school
outfits and shoes for all the children.
q The woman did not know how to cook properly
and through ignorance she was wasting the family
income.
Z course of lessons by cooking teacher soon
rected this
4 A new owner of the tenement refused to make
needed repairs in the flat
: The visitor reported conditions to the Tenement
House Department, and the landlord was com.
PEELED to act
= During the summer the mother and children
were sent to Sea Breeze. the Associations fresh
air home. to gain strength.
z The oldest boy secured his working papers and
later began work GRAND boy, earning $3.50
week.
q The Association still keeps in touch with this
family through friendly visitor and unsalaried
volunteer worker, who reports to the trained visitor
and is directed by her.
4 When the Oldest boy is sixteen years old the
Association plans to help him to enter q trade
school.
to put this family its feet again. it known to
q church, dispensary and friend hopelessly
dirty, shiftess and incorporate.
4 To bring about these results the Association
employed the services of a relief visitor a friendly
visitor, nurse and dietitian gave food and other
necessares and sent the family to Sea Breeze.
Y Temporary relief to lessen poverty was given
first.
4 An investigation and the organization of re.
sources followed.
4 The causes of poverty were eliminated, thus
efectng cure
n Preventive work was then done to keep the
family from falling again below the poverty line
\ Finally friendly visitor put on guard to
watch until the family was safely beyond all social
and industrial pitfalls.
This of the 7,778 families that the Associa-
ton aided and treated last year
q The problems in many of these homes were much
easier to solve than the one in the longshore.
mans abode.
u In Others they are more difficult.
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