Evening star., 1936-10-20
HOUSING PROJECT
DEDICATION TODAY
IN LONDON COURT
First Real Accomplishment
In SIum-CIearance Drive
in Washington.
HAZEN WILL OFFICIATE
AT FORMAL EXERCISES
23 Renowned and Newly Built
y Homes Soon Ready for
Selected Tenants.

A new London court m the south
east section, transformed by the Alley
Dwelling Authority from one of the
citys drab slum areas into healthy
habitation of Sun-lighted, bath-tub-
equipped homes, will be dedicated to-
day at 2:30 pm. by Commissioner
Melvin c. Hazen.
The dedication Of this project of
% renovized and newly built houses
1t represents the first actual occom-
plishment of campaign waged for
many years in Washington to demolish
the city's worst alleys and provide
decent housing at low rentals for their
former occupants.
There will be "house warming" in
the new homes this afternoon and
prominent Washingtonians who have
assisted the Alley Dwelling Authority
in carrying forward its program will
inspect the development located in
L street between Twelfth and Thir-
teenth streets. Soon thereafter, 1t
was announced, it will be ''moving-in
day. for the families selected as ten
ants, many of whom previously lived
in the ill-kept, unsanitary homes typi-
cal Of the old London court.
Hazen to Officiate.
As chairman of the Alley Dwelling
Authority, Commissioner Hazen will
officiate at the formal dedication.
Other speakers are expected to be
, Chairman Frederic A. Delano of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, DR.. Arson Phelps Stokes,
( chairman Of the Cooperating Wash
ington Committee on Housing, and
Dr. Emmett J. Scott, Howard Uni
versity secretary.
The % houses are divided into two
groups of IL new houses and two
groups of II old, reconditioned homes.
They are the result of a two-year at
tempt to learn how inexpensively ac-
ceptable dwellings may be provided at
low rentals in the District. According
to officials, the expected rental for the
new houses will be about $26 a
month. The reconditioned ones, they
hope to hold down to half that
amount.
They were planned and built for
families with incomes of 81 200 year
or less. That is the official classif1-
cation, 1t was said, of low incomes"
within the meaning Of the Alley
Dwelling Authority act.
While London court Is the first
group of new homes provided by any
governmental agency in Washington
in a demolished alley area, it does not
represent all, however, that the au-
: thority has accomplished in its two
year grapple with the problem.
Three Alleys Cleared Out.
About year ago it cleared out
three alleys in the northwest section,
abolishing some so old dwellings. On
the site between Twentieth and Twen-
ty-first and E and F streets the au-
thority built garages for leasing and
> established a needed parking area.
Meanwhile, as plans for the ''house-
warming" in London court were under
way, the Monday Evening Club, which
has been interested in the problem for
many years, last night conducted a
forum on the many interrelated phases
/. of housing for families Of low income.
I About 200 members attended the ses-
sion at the Y. w. c. A.
q e. Barrett Prettyman presided and
John Ihlder, executive officer, outlined
8 the problem of housing from the view
point of an existing acute shortage,
the need for decent living conditions
for families unable to pay high rent
MS demanded for new homes, and the
question of how the Government can
I solve the problem. District and Fed
4 eral officials frankly discussed these
various points.
,s Ihlder scored business interests, and
Tabor also, for failure" to come for
d, ward with any successful, adequate
y plan for providing families of low in
comes with decent, modern houses at
rents within their reach.
~ Short Of Low-Rent Houses.
* Claiming over SO per cent of the
families in Washington are housed in
Z UNIT dwellings, he said the expert
ences of the Alley Dwelling Authority
proved there was "a very general
shortage of low-rent houses" here.
7 The inability to find suitable homes
I Tor the people we wish to move out of
alleys has done more than anything
else to slow up our program" he said.
Ee In the general discussion that fol-
lowed informal addresses, the family
d budget allotments for rent were con-
sidered in the light of assertions that
IS or 80 per cent of income was a
reasonable allowance for rent. It was
brought out, however, that families on
relief with incomes of $45 month
cannot obtain adequate housing for
% or $40 q month.
Ss Capt. Rhoda Milliken OF the
S. ssWomen's Bureau urged strengthening
IS Of the licensing laws so as to permit
police control over all classes of ROOM
ing houses in the city. Police are
unable to control overcrowding in such
houses because of loopholes in the
law, she explained, and described liv-
Ing conditions in most Of the room
ing houses as "abominable"
Washington has 80 per cent of its
married women gainfully employed.
Clarke Corliss of the Family Service
M Association said, compared with IA per
cent in Chicago and IL per cent in
New York.
{ Miss Alice Hill of the Public Assist
ance Division of the Public Welfare
Bureau, protested that So cities show
Il lower rent scales than Washington
q and she claimed a shortage Of hous-
ing here, also, for persons in the higher
income brackets. This assertion
brought out that there is also an
acute shortage of one-room apart
%nlents. There Is high percentage
of single persons on relief rolls, Miss
I1iH pointed out, who are unable to
Aobtain one-room apartments at mod
crate rentals.
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