Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-10-23
$10,613,581 SPENT
DURING Z MONTHS
BY WELFARE UNIT
Greatly Reduced and More
Specialized Program
Assistance Plan.
MISS HILL ITEMIZES
DIVISION ACTIVITIES
Eight Recommendations Submit.
ted Look Forward to More
Social Service.

duced but more specialized program in
the future, the Public Assistance Divi-
sion of the Board of Public Welfare
today made public its report for the
year ending June 30, 1885. Expendi-
lures of the division during the 12-
month period were placed at $10,613,-
58l04, of which $780, 7o03 was
taken from District funds and the re-
mainder from Federal emergency re-
lief grants.
In concluding her report of activi-
ties of the division, Miss M. Alice Hill,
director, said:
THE Public Assistance Division
hopes to be able to do more social
service on more individualized basis,
give more adequate relief and again
reorganize on basis of longtime
permanent program of social service
under public auspices"
OF more significance, perhaps, than
the record of what has been done are
some of the eight recommendations
which Miss Hill submits for the future
course of the division.
Recommends atoms in Brief.
A digest of these recommendations
follows:
/. Since the division has a compe-
tent Research Department, it might
be wise to enlarge the scope of this
department to cover all institutions
and agencies under the Board of Pub
lie Welfare for research and Stats
tical purposes.
2. Immediate plans should be made
for including the staff of the Public
Assistance Division under civil service,
as is done in other regular depart
ments of the District. This would
increase service costs, but would put
the division on an equal basis with
others of the board.
8. Since the Federal Government
is assuring financial responsibility
for work for the unemployed. the I'M
employable must be the responsibility
of the local government. Congress
sional appropriations for relief in the
District should be definitely made for
this purpose.
4. Funds must be made available
for others than those classified as un-
ensployable, and for experimentation
Of inadequate relief and other wages.
S. A staff of qualified trained case
workers should be maintained to carry
not more than so families per worker
6. It should be the policy of the de-
partment to carry some service cases
in which relief has been discontinued
In order to render social service that
in some cases is more needed than
relief. A long time and permanent
program should be planned.
Z. The development of district or
case committees should be fostered to
keep the public informed.
8. Social service should be used in
setting up administrative plans for
old age pensions, blind pensions and
aid to dependent children.
23,423 Families on List.
Miss Hill reported that the division
had under its care on July /, 1884. a
total of 23,423 families and unattached
individuals. In addition, 1892 appli-
cations for assistance were accepted
during the year, making a total of
42,905 cases. There was a drop from
the continuing rolls, however, of 24,607
cases, so only 1928 were on the lists
when the IL months ended.
The average amount of relief per
family was estimated at $27.14 per
month. This showed a variation of
about Sc per month from the Summer
to Winter months.
OF the more than $4,000, 900 spent,
76 per cent was expended in relief to
residents and the social service and
administration of that relief; 81 per
cent went to the Transient Bureau
and the remainder to special projects
such as school lunches and nursery
schools.
Establishment of a higher salary
scale for administrative purposes has
resulted in greatly improved personnel,
the report states, thus allowing a re-
duction in personnel numbers.
Although the individual directors
Of the various sections of the division
submit detailed reports, which are in
cluded in that released today, Miss
Hill summarizes each of these briefly.
Summary of Reports.
In condensed form, these follow:
Transient clients increased from
1881 at the beginning of the year to
1921 at the close.
An average Of 6,819 hot lunches
were served daily to school children
Appointments of boys to c. c. C..
camps increased from 662 to 1887.
The research department completed
IL studies and has five under way, all
pertaining to welfare administration
and legislation.
with relief funds and operated by the
School Board.
Glasses in adult education were in
creased from IA to 116, with LOST
students enrolled.
Nursing care was extended through
26,815 visits.
Surgical appliances and glasses
were supplied relief clients by the
vocational rehabilitation service.
A special department for adjust
mentso of insurance policies and claims
was established, and more than S82,-
600 made available to relief families
by this department.
Surplus commodities valued at $621,-
779.75 were distributed.
Seventy-six cases of vocational re-
Mobilization were completed and 220
more are still under supervision.
Scholarships Of SIS per month were
made available to 557 college students.
Sixteen self-help co-operatives were
established.