Evening star., 1939-01-08
Expert and Early Aid
To Needy Families
Chest Units Aim
Relief Rightly Given
Does Not Pouperize,
Suvin Declares

of the Community Chest as they
mobilize to meet the needs of the
increasing number who have been
flocking to them for aid in the re-
current crises of human lives.
Economical use of the funds made
available through the Community
Chest is possible because of the
policy of using cash relief as tool
with which to rehabilitate families
and individuals and return them to
community life on a self-support-
Ing basis.
Relief rightly given does not
pauperize any more than insulin
causes diabetes" Is the comment of
w. H. Savin, executive secretary of
the Family Service Association.
Mr.. Savin cited how of 258 new
relief cases which came to the Fam
lily Service Association in the two
months of November and December,
1887, all but IL were back on their
feet and on self-supporting basis
six months later.
Greater Dividends.
Citizens who have given through
the Community Chest receive great
er dividends from their investment
in human welfare because of the
skilled methods used by the trained
staff of the agencies, he made clear.
knowledge makes the difference
between rehabilitation and depend
ency,' he said. The skilled case
worker is trained in understanding
OF the mental and moral injuries
caused by privation and suffering.
Relief is merely used like a splint
for an injured member while the
individual is encouraged to exercise
his own energies, and stimulated to
find ways of making his own come
back to self-respect and happiness. ;"
The load carried by the Jewish
Social Service Association was nearly
doubled in 1888 as compared with
either 1887 or 1886, and economic
need remains the major reason
when a family applies for help"
This means that the pressure on the
agency for cash relief has also
doubled in the face of drastic cuts
in their budget made necessary by
the deficit.
Tool for Rehabilitation.
The technique of using relief as
tool for rehabilitation is what
makes it possible to keep on helping
families, in spite of the effect of the
deficit agency officials point out.
The deficit does mean, however, that
where cash relief is found necessary
in bringing about the rehabilitation
Of people who are temporarily "on
the rocks" such relief must be more
thinly spread and will be available
in the rehabilitative treatment of
fewer families.
Many more distressed people who
come to Chest agencies could be
helped back to independent, normal
living only if enough money were
available to give them the cash
relief which is so urgently needed
for a short time as part of the
technique of restoring their own
initiative and stimulating them to
make their own comeback.
Out of 4,789 applications which
were made to the Family Service
Association in the year ending June
30, 1888, the agency was able to
make some disposition in 1850 cases.
Some 800 were referred to other
agencies, 1850 were helped with
guidance and advice in few inter-
views. For 651 the Family Service
Association could and did undertake
a continuing caSe-work service,
which included relief where needed.
This left 1899 who could not be
helped because of lack of funds.
Tries to Aid Most Hopeful.
OF those who come for help, the
family welfare agencies try to help
first of all the most hopeful, those
who are on the verge of disaster,
those who haYe not been so beaten
down by trouble and privation that
a comeback is virtually impossible
In a comparatively short time.
What became of the 1899 whom
the Family Service Association
could not reach because their finan-
cial resources through the Chest
were not adequate to undertake
preventive" treatment?
Eventually the community pays
for these in increased crime, in
juvenile delinquency, in poor health,
in increased hospital costs, or in
permanent unemployability, said Mr.
Savin For the time being they
fall back upon makeshift resources
of their own; they double up in liv-
j,,o o,,o 1T orc. ont Iou,r, ~, food IL,
take, and struggle along until genu-
Inc deterioration sets. in, moral,
physical and mental.
Costly Custodial Care.
''In the end, costly custodial care
In public NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. hos
pital, mental or penal-is the tragic
answer to many problems which
could have been economically solved
in their earlier stages through the
preventive treatment" Mr. Savin
said.
Shortage of jobs with the resulting
fierce competition for employment
means that more and more people
are constantly coming to the point
where they need help to tide them
over an emergency until they can
once more help themselves.
Fourteen per cent of the people
who came to the Family Service
Association in the last year were
never known to any relief agency
They have always managed their
own affairs. Most of them need
only a temporary handup to enable
them to 60 on doing so.
Short Periods of Relief.
"One frightened and desperate
young husband came to us recently
who said he had been out of work
a long time-which turned out to
be only two weeks" Mr.. Savin said
He was given relief over a four
week period and has never needed
1t since.
Again, father of six boys came
to us panic-stricken after an un-
employment period of two months