Evening star., 1933-07-12
BIG RELIEF DEMAND
BRINGS NEW POLICY
TO CHECK APPEALS
District Officials Seek Way to
+ Cut Down Outlay of Pub
lie Funds.
STAFF NOW 1,4O0 CASES
BEHIND IN INQUIRIES
Effects Of Government Layoffs
Being Felt-New Case Work
ers to Be Put On.

Applications for relief reached new
high peaks in recent weeks, virtually
swamping the Districts emergency re-
lief staff, with the result that new poll
cies were placed into effect today in an
effort to keep pace with appeals and to
seek way of holding down the weekly
outlay of available funds.
Appeals now are coming to the Dis
trict at rate of about 100 day, ap-
proximately double that of recent weeks
Leroy A. Halbert, director of emergency
relief, revealed in a report late yester-
day to the Relief Committee Of the
Board of Public Welfare. About 225
new applications were filed yesterday
and for the week ending June 80 the
number totaled STA, he said.
1,400 Cases Behind.
Because Of the unprecedented in
crease in appeals, which is attributed
partially to the loss of jobs by Govern
ment workers and persons whom these
workers formerly employed, the relief
staff now is about 1,400 cases behind
in its investigation of actual needs Of
families listed for relief.
To meet this situation the Relief
Committee authorized Halbert to as
sign new case workers to assist the
relief staff in investigating new appli-
cants in an effort to catch up with
this work. For the time being other
families on the relief rolls will be car
ried without the frequent rechecking Of
conditions which has been made In
the past
AS soon as possible, also, the staff
will begin to re-examine all doubtful
cases in an effort to weed out of the
relief rolls all families which have suf-
f1cient income to justify their being
dropped from the rolls.
Anticipated Decline.
Relief officials earlier in the year
anticipated the number of appeals and
the number of persons on the relief
rolls would decline during the Summer
months, but find the reverse Is true
Mr.. Halbert reported an increase in
the number of white collar" class of
the destitute in recent weeks, as we'll
as an increase in the numbers in the
servant class, who have lost work for
merly obtained from better paid Wash
lngtonlans, who now are economiZing.
Another reason for the increase in
appeals, he said, Is that the local private
charity agencies. such as the Associated
Charities. are virtually without funds
and many Of their cases have been
transferred to the District rolls.
The Federal economy programs and
the slash in veterans payments also
were given as other reasons.
Reached High Mark.
The Districts outlay for direct relief
recently reached the high mark Of
$48, 900 week. Every effort will have
to be made to keep the outlay from ex-
ceeding this figure, officials say, since
it Is estimated the Districts available
relief funds will be exhausted early next
year. The total outlay for the last week
Of June, including administrative ex-
penses, amounted to 54,605.
About 10000 persons now are receiv-
ing aid from the District. There now
are 10,642 families being cared for
by the District. There were 6,633 in
March and 8211 in May. The average
payment to a family is $40 month.
About 81 per cent Of the money goes
to persons who are employed on made
work" projects of the District.
Direct relief expenditures since August
I of last year amount to 81 l,283,078.