Evening star., 1936-06-09
What Are They
Doing Without
Relief?
Case Histories of Families
Dropped From the Rolls
Presented by Star.

appropriate only $350,o0O in place
Of the s6o8, 900, 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 false sense
of security that all is we'll?
Some 400 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. 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 invesu-
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. IS.
This is a colored family. composed
of the father. so: the mother, 4s, anc
a 7-year-old boy.
The father was a mason mechanic
by trade. He broke his leg when h,
fell from a ladder. and applied fol
public assistance division aid in Jan
uary. 1888. The case was closed from
February to September, 1885. during
which time the man found employ.
ment. Since that time the family
had received $40 a week of reliel
money until the case was closed or
April l. The man was injured agar
in an automobile accident in August
1885. On October 1S. 1885, the mar
was certified for w. P. A. work. but
never received employment because oi
injuries to his back in the automobile
accident.
The family has no income except
81 so a week, which the man earn;
doing chores in the neighborhood
The rent has not been paid since
April l, and the account has beer
turned over to q collecting agency
They expect to be evicted.
This family" 1t is stated in the
case report. has presented a border
line case for some time. Man. though
employed. can do only very
light work, which the w. P. A. cannot
Woman is a semi-invalio
due to high blood pressure and slight
paralysis. She should have a specia
diet for her condition and the fooc
they are eating is very bad for hel
health.
Their only possibility Of help al
present Is a settlement from mans
claim on his accident, but his lawyer
states that the case will probably not
come up until the end of this Sum-
ner."
Case No. rs.
This family consists of man and
and seven children ranging in
age from years to an infant born
lust before the Public Assistance Di-
'ision was forced to close the case
April /.
The woman applied for public as
,iStance December 5, 1885, after her
husband had left Washington to seek
work elsewhere. He returned February
/, still without work. Both man and
woman have been certified to the
Works Progress Administration, but
nave not been assigned to jobs.
Inc family mas no income. In ao-
lition to surplus food given by the
,. A. D., the family has received food
rom the woman's sister, who is en-
,loyed. and who has helped as much
IS she can.
The family was evicted during the
arly Spring and the American Legion
,aid $25 toward rent at a new address.
Aother and grandmother nursed three
# the children through the mumps
Without any medical assistance.
The man has manufactured food
ubstitutes In the past, according to
he case report. and has been doing
his on q small scale recently in an
Mort TO make little money.