The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-11-02
HOMELESS, JOBLESS- DAUNTLESS


ton of 5000, 900 in the Greater
City. one out of every six is penni-
less, desperately in need of aid.
Look around you when you're in
any group and say to yourself.
For every six people here, one is
destitute That will make you
think"
This same official adds: I'VE
figure on getting 100000 a
month in relief money from the
city, the same from the state and
from the federal government. That
makes 100000 a month, and the
welfare council has estimated
S10,000,000 month as the
absolute minimum need - that
S10,000,000 will be inadequate, but
will prevent starvation.
And you can't trade funds
from the public any more, be-
cause every one is talking and
thinking in terms of recovery and
refuses to talk or think relief.
That part of America that has
the money is tired of the depres-
sion, sick of bread lines and re-
lief drives. So what in the name
of God we're going to do no one
seems to know"
MO one knows, either, exactly
4 y how many of the city desti-
tute are women. Some estimate
$4,000, others $4,000 The Wom-
ems Bureau of the United States
department of labor on Aug. %
put the figure of jobless women
in the entire nation at 1000 600,
and analysed it down to include
colder women rejected, married
women for the first time in the
job market"
Writing in the Nation few
weeks ago, James Rorty said that
America had been shocked to
learn there are 100000 homeless
children hoboing on the road, but
probably did not know there were
also 100000 or more homeless
women. These women have joined
the gasoline gypsieS" OF the west
and southwest and are beginning
to resemble the old world beggar
family problem of the middle ages.
On one night a survey was made
simultaneously in 300 cities, and
that night 1850 homeless girls
knocked at the door of the Sal
walton Army, Y. w. G. A., Family
Welfare, Jewish Social and SINH
lar agencies.
On that same night, 1,756 wom-
en- were found sleeping in hobo
camps along the railroad tracks.
The social agencies estimated, on
the incomplete returns of that sur
vey. that $4,000 women and girls
are wandering through the coun-
try. homeless, dependent on relief
or outside aid and what tempo
rary jobs they can pick up, drift
ing from one community to the
other.
II n
TITO bring this picture closer
Il home, there's Nels Anderson
of the national committee on the
care of transient and homeless,
who says: There are at least
10000 homeless women in New
York city. That doesn't include
the other tens of thousands of
destitute women living with their
families or with friends"
Anderson's estimate is a midget
compared with the statement of
Mrs. Walter N. Sedgwick, man
ager of the City Federation of
Women's Club hotel, before the
federation this summer.
She told the appalled, women
there are $1,000 women without
homes in this city, who drift from
one employment office to another
vainly searching for jobs, who
rest in Grand Central and Penn
sylvania station waiting rooms,
who ride the subways at night,
and who eat in the penny kitchens
on Sixth and Ninth avenues.
Any one can find these girls
and talk to them. They will tell
you as they did us, yes, it's
pretty tough. But if you know
how to go uptown, downtown and
crosstown, you can ride all night
for a nickel. Sure we get some
sleep. And we can nap in the
daytime"
Gallant in bewildering adver-
sity, numbed by the repeated hard
knocks of an undeserved fate, this
army of forgotten women drifts
along, waiting to be reclaimed. For
its members what lies ahead?