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


Following decision of Congress to
appropriate only S350,000 in place
of the $6O8, 900 for which the Com
missioners had asked, the District
relief autorities announced that
all "employable" persons would be
dropped from the local relief rolls
April !. This was done.
Since then there has been no
great pubic 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 a
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. 21.
The family is composed of Mr.. ant
drs. B and four girls ranging in agt
rom l to II years.
Toward the end of the past Winte
dr. B lost his job as street car mo.
orman because of a fainting spell
While on duty. He cannot be rein.
tated as a motorman and has beer
Inable to find employment at his ole
rade as mechanic, although giver
lnion assistance in his effort to FIND
work..
The family applied for relief il
March, but was dropped from the roll
# the Public Assistance Division
vhen its funds were curtailed April l
The oldest child is crippled as a result
f infantile paralysis and is receiving
reatments at Children's Hospital
The father has been sick for the pas
week and was certified to the Emer,
.ency Hospital clinic for examination
The family is unable to pay REM
nd, according to the case report, ha.
'een Giving from meal to meal, rely.
ng on the supplementary food order
he kindness of their landlady and tn.
title help which Mr.. BIS sister ha'
'een able to give them"
"It is felt that the family has en-.
Iured extreme hardship since they
lave been dropped from relief rolls,
WdS 1OpO1 LCu
Case No. %.
The family consists of Mr.. and Mrs
l. and two children, 3 and IA year;
Id.
Because Of the illness of Mrs. A. anC
he unemployment of the husband, th'
amily applied to the plblic assistance
vision in January, 1886, and during
'ebruary and March received $6.25 fol
ent and 81 for food each week. Tht
ase was closed April /, when the
). A. D. dropped employable cases
10Th parents have registered at the
mployment Office.
There is no present income in the
amily applied to the public assistance
cts occasional odd jobs, but since the
ase was closed "the family has just
arely existed" the case report shows
! home visit by an investigator was
lade May 1 and nothing was found
/ the house to eat except dried peas
surplus food order was given.
Eviction has been threatened, pay
lents being $50 in arrears.
During February and March Mrs. A
nd the youngest child both vert
cry i'll.
"Mr. and Mrs. A. are making every
fort to become self-supporting," said
ne report of the investigator, but at
resent everything looks very dark and
loomy, especially since the family Is
iced with an empty larder and an