Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-09-21
STATE COMMISSION
 CONDEMNS HOME HERE
Charities Board Declares Volunteers of America Home Not Properly
 Conducted.


 Edmund J. Brown, Jr., executive secretary of the Arkansas Commission of Charities and Corrections, has ad- dressed the following letter to the city council of Pine Bluff. carbon copy of which was addressed to The Graphic:
 "Sirs: A representative of the Ark ansas commission of charities and corrections has carefully examined into the purposes and management of charitable home in your city, known as the Volunteers of America and To- cated at S09 West Second street. The commission do not mean to disparage or condemn any relief work which the officers of this institution may have done among the poor of your city. Yet because of our findings we are forced to complain and protest against the continuance of any insti- tuition operating under the conditions existing at this home and to issue the following statement:
 Il. The avOwed purpose of the Volunteers of America home, i. e. "to provide food and shelter for the friendless and needy classes and all ages, except that our regulations for bid us from providing sleeping quar- ters for men, cannot be carried out at the present home without grave liability Of vicious results: for
 "2. The building occupied was con structed as a one-story dwelling house and affords no adequate separation of :. dependent children from del1n- quent women,, nor from the male vag1 ants who are at times given meals at the home.
 "3. The reasonable maximum ca pacity of the home, exclusive of the officers family, is 8 inmates. allowing two inmates to a room. The capital outlay and current expense necessary to maintain and properly supervise eight inmates would be too excessive to warrant soliciting public funds for the investment, unless there were an opportunity for home production of supplies. There is no such oppor- tunity at this home
 A. Because of the necessity of making the collections by which the home is maintained the officers in charge make practice of absenting themselves for hours at time, leaving the inmates with no super vision at all. Such continuous prac- tice makes the home completely un- trustworthy as place of shelter for dependent persons.
 "In fact our representative found the home at one time in charge of a woman of questioned morals who is possibly feeble minded, and who on the previous day was seen abusing her own crippled child.
 a. No attempt is made to keep written records showing such data as-description identifying an inmate. the guardian or person responsible for 8 child, person or agency placing child with the home, physical and mental condition of an inmate when received, person to whom an inmate was handed over when discharged,- and the like.
 "Thus there is grave danger that a child placed in the home might be lost for all that could be readily learned of it's past conditions Of life. Moreover. such a home might unwit- tingly be housing imposters and thus aiding this undesirable class.
 "6. The home is in arrears Tor rent, and money has been borrowed | to meet current expenses. Because l of continual well-grounded complaints | against the management, the credit or 1 the home is liable to suffer even more in the future.
 "Therefore, because we believe that | the needs met by the Volunteers Of America can be filled through other | agencies under our supervision, we must disapprove the continuance Of this Volunteers of America home. We urge your honorable body | urge your honorable council to adopt an ordinance forbid ding 1) the continuance or establish ment of any charitable home in your city unless the home shall have been granted an annual license by a duly onstitutedsauthority of the city; and (2) attaching suitable penalties for enforcing the same.
 eve suggest that you have power to do this under section 5 of the act of March 21, 1885. relating to cities Of the first class.
 every respectfully, OF CHARITIES AND
 CORRECTION"
 Unless the city council should be called to meet in special session, there will be no meeting of the body before Monday, October l.