Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-10-30
$4,000 INCREASE
IN RELIEF FUNDS !
SOUGHT BY BOARD
Welfare Unit Endorses
Statement of Street
on Needs.
$780, 900 REQUESTED
TO AID 'EMPLOYABLES'
approximately 5000 Cases Must
Be Cared For, Officials
Declare.

Appropriation of $3.50, 900 to supple
ment present relief funds during the
last six months of the present fiscal
year should be sought as soon as Con-
gress meets, the Board of Public We'll
fare advised the Commissioners today.
The board insisted the present sum
of 81 SOC, 900 for the year is inadequate,
that the amount of relief now available
is too small and that many additional
cases need help.
The action of the Welfare Board
was in complete Endorsement of the
statement made recently by its director.
Elwood Street, who insisted there
should be q demand at the opening
Of Congress for large additional re-
lief appropriation.
One-twelfth of the present District
relief fund Is being spent each month
under direction of the Commissioners.
Because of questions as to whether
the sum was adequate the Commits
sioners had required the board to make
a report of experience during the first
quarter of the fiscal year.
Specifically, the board asked sup
Elemental item of $630,000 for relief Of
residents who are clasSed as employ
ables," but who are in distress, need
ing shelter. food. clothing and other
relief. The board estimated there are
approximately 5000 cases who need
relief now, or will need it.
To provide more adequate relief for
the ''unemployables," the only ones
. now receiving direct relief, numbering
approximately $500, the board asked
q supplemental appropriation Of $685.
600, which would mean monthly indi-
vidual allotments could be increased by
about IS.
The board also asked an additional
sum Of $685. 900 to provide a more ade-
quate personnel to handle aid to the
"unemployables," insisting this was
needed to tighten "the unduly heavy
case load now existing, 10 clear up
uninvestigated cases, and to meet Civil
Service requirements. The board
stated that because Of the limit OF ST.
: 100000 on the total relief fund for the
present fiscal year, it had been neces-
sary to make reductions in the month
ly allotments to relief cases, even
though only "unemployables" have
been getting help since July /.
d, Now that the case load Is made up
OF unemployables only, we have prac-
tically eliminated all families in which
there is any income to be supplemented
by relief, as was done prior to July l."
said the board. Naturally, the
amount of relief needed in each fam
lily Is much higher than when we were
experimenting some earning in the
family.
I'VE have not been able to meet the
extra needs of the unemployable fam
lilies for such things as medicine, car
fare, milk, warm clothing and Incl
dentals."
Statistics reported to the Commits
sioners showed that the number of
cases receiving relief had decreased
from 1884 in July. when the average
grant per case was $27.16, to 1884 in
September, when the average grant
per month increased to $27.32. The
board predicted the number of unem-
ployables would increase again during
the Winter.
II for no other reason, the board
argued, the present monthly allotment
of the relief fund, about $l33, 900, must
be increased during the Winter, be-
cause fuel must be put into many
budgets. 1t said also Winter clothing
must be purchased and added "the
case load Is bound to increase because
of illness In the Winter months"