Evening star., 1936-06-08
What Are They
Doing Without
Relief?
Case Histories of Families
Dropped From the Rolls
Presented by Star.

Following decision of Congress to
appropriate only $350000 in place
of the $608,000 for which the Com
missioners had asked, the District
relief authorities announced that all
"employable' persons would be
dropped from the local relief rolls
April /. This was done.
Since then there has been no
great public outcry for further re-
lief. There have been no riots, no
disorder, no mass demonstrations.
Evictions have been few.
Was the relief demand overStated
by the relief authorities? Is the
public being lulled into a false sense
Of security that all is we'll?
Some 4,100 families have been
dropped from the local relief rolls.
A few have been given w. P. A.
employment. What are the others
doing? What are their circum-
stances? How will they get along2
At the request of the American
Association of Social Workers the
Public Assistance Division of the
Board of Public Welfare and the
Family Service Association, a Com
munity Chest agency, have follow
ed up" 40 cases Of persons dropped
from the relief rolls.
The names of these cases have
not been available to The Star, nor
has The Star made its own investi-
cation of the facts At the request
Of the agencies The Star will pre-
sent daily some of the typical cases
as reported by the case workers.
Case No. 20.
The family is composed of the par
entS and six children, the younges
born in February, 1895.
Public assistance has been given tn
family on supplementary basis sine
October, 1884, varying, according t,
circumstances, from 81 to $13 a week
All assistance was discontinued Marcl
81 upon the blanket order to close al
cases.
The husband Is employed as a dish
and general helper in a down
town restaurant at $40 a week. Thi
IS inadequate, even for food alone, ant
yet the wife has pinched of a few
dollars each week to pay toward tn,
ever-increasEng rent bill. There is al
outstanding milk bill of $4.61.
During April the family received
surplus food commodities from tht
public assistance division warehouse
Several members of the family ar,
n poor health. Two of the children
nave very bad teeth and one suffer.
rom stomach disorders. The tonsil.
If one child need to be removed anc
! similar operation has been pre-.
icribed for the mother.
Case No. "a.
This family is composed Of thu
ather, 60; mother, So, and three chill.
iren, a girl, 10. and boys, 13 and
'ears old.
The family first came to the public
division July 8, 1885, becaus.
II the illness of the father. Father
mother and girl were authorized fol
Works Progress Administration EN-.
,loyment. and at one time the mar
vas sent on a laboring Job, but wa.
ound to be too old and unfit for ths
work.. The woman later was removed
rom the list because Of physical dis
Ibility. The girl was rejected by the
Department. of Justice because oi
Touth.
At present the man works two OF
hree days a week, earning So a day
This, with surplus food sent them
makes up the present income, ano
hey have been able to Keep up rent
payments. If the girl is able to gel
work, they feel they will be able tt
This family has been considerably
handicapped by Illness" it Is statec
n the case report. Man, who i,
pastry baker by trade, has been in bee
'art Of the time with very painful
attacks OF arthritis and was sent to 9
,linic. At times he seemed so dis
outraged that he impressed the work.
r as being near a.nervous breakdown
With the help of clinical treatments
md the arrival of warmer weather
lis condition improved and he feel.
low that he can work in his owr
inc. The woman had to enter the
hospital for 10 days in April with ar
Icute attack of ulcers of the stomach
ollowing long siege Of chronic
rns,I,1a -