Evening star., 1936-05-29
What Are They
Doing Without
Relief?
Case Histories of Families
Dropped From the Rolls
Presented by Star.

appropriate only S350,000 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 over
stated by the relief authorities?
Is the public being lulled into
false sense of security that all is
well?
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 along?
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,
Community Chest agency. have
followed 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 in
vestigation of the facts. At the
request of the agencies The Star
will present daily some of the typi-
cal cases as reported by the case
workers.
CASE NO. s.
The family is composed of tw'
adults, ages Sc and So. They re
ceived assistance from October, 1888
to March, 1886. The Immaculate Con
ception Parish is helping with food
The man has been distributing cir
culars when this work Is available, a
about so cents a day.
The first, second and third week O
April, after public relief stopped, the!
had 50 week for food. The las
week they received only 81. They
live in one room, In which they sleer
and eat and for which they owe s.
a week in rent. being five weeks II
arrears. Eviction has been threat.
ened.
The family has no relatives to hell
them and are dependent upon heir
from the church and the money ths
man has made distributing circulars
He is physically unable to do laborins
work. The woman had one eye re.
moved in 1884 and the other Is weak
She is not strong physically.
Woman seemed very distressed
over their present condition and ad.
vised that she had worried over 1t tt
a great degree" it was reported. "Shs
feels that If they could get LITTLE
help until the man improved thai
possibly something would come up Il
help them meet the situation"
CASE NO. 6.
The family is composed of nine
two adults and seven children, ranging
in age from IL years to 6 months
Known to the Public Assistance Di.
vision intermittently since 1888, thu
family during that time has had ar
average income of SIG a week ane
has never been adequate since th,
family has been under observation.
Dropped April l from relief rolls
the family was evicted from its home
less than a month later. Present in.
come is SLIPS a week, the w. p. A
wage. The family has no other re.
source for food.
"The family at present operates ir
a vicious circle; they either pay rent
or eat. They cannot do BOTH" it wa,
stated in the report. In April they
ate; this month, In their new home
they have paid one months rent, $35
and when worker visited, May 2, Mrs
Y had five oranges. She was planning
to sell some furniture for food"
The family today faces ian acute
crisis for food and clothing for school.
age children"
The family had no supplemental
help in April, except surplus foods
There has been no illness in the fam.
lily, but the baby is teething and re.
quires extra care.
Family is beaten by this situa.
tion," it was reported, especially q,
they face prospect of no food. Mrs
Y has so many small children she
cannot leave them and Mr.. Y earns
only $45, w. P. A. wages They are
hoping that some source Of relief may
materialize."
The children are unable to 60 tc
school because of insufficient food
and suitable clothing.