The guardian., 1940-08-10


ally lower than these figures.
Chairman Breen stated that all of
the General Contractors on the four
projects were presently running ahead
of schedule of completion time.
1t is anticipated that the Charles
town project will receive its first ten
ants not later than September 1, 1910,
the South Boston project about Octo-
ber 1, 1910, the Mission Hill project
and the Lenox Street project during
the month of September.
An attractive four-page folder, de-
scriptive of tenancy requirements, and
containing a schedule of the rents to
be charged and family incomes al
lowed, together with a detachable ap-
plication form has been prepared by
the Authority.
The folder-applicatio may be OBJ
tanned in the offices of the Housing
Authority at 55 Bunker Hill Street,
Charlestown, at the Old Harbor Vii
lage management Office, 345 Old
Colony Avenue, South Boston, at the
Mission Hill construction Office at the
corner of st. Alphonsus and Ward
Streets, RoXbury, at the Authority
Office at 123 Lenox Street, Roxbury,
and at the office of its Rehousing Sec
tion for the new Heath Street project
at 1874 Parker Street.
Four rooms may be had at $500,
$500 and $23.00, with the highest
income allowed $1,366.00, or approx
mately $26.26 a week. In the five
room group the rents have been set
at $1,000, $500 and $24.00, with the
. | hi Inh oil
year, or approximately $28.42 week.
In the largest size apartment, which
is six rooms and is comprised of a
living room, four bedrooms, kitchen
and bath, the rents have been set at
$1700, $4,000 and $25.00, with the
highest income allowed being $1,490.
or approximately $2865 a week.
All of the rents are "gross rents"
and include heat, hot water, light, fuel
for cooking and refrigeration, as con-
trasted with the common use of the
term "rent" within the group which
the Authority hopes to serve, which
does not include these utilities.
To be eligible to file an application,
it was stated that family must be
living in Boston under substandard
conditions, that its head must be a
citizen of the United States, and that
its total annual income must not ex-
ceed the prescribed limits.
Preference will be given to families
formerly living on project sites and
families with children under sixteen
years of age provided they meet other
requirements. Families admitted to
the project must be natural groups of
! tXuO tO 11ipn Yarsops Rolofiuac
allowed, but dodgers, .roomers or un-
related working adults are excluded
The staff which has been chosen to
supervise the tenant selection work
has been preparing for some time for
the expected flood of applications, and
final instructions are being given to
the field workers who will make the
home visits.
AS promptly as the application
blanks are received in the Housing
Authority offices, they will receive a
preliminary sorting, and home investi-
cations will start on next Monday. All
statements made by the applicant will
be verified, but any information given
to the field workers will be treated in
strict confidence and for the use of the
Authority only.
No minimum income allowances
have been established, as all applica-
tions filed will be considered, and each
case judged on it's own merits.
Families who formerly lived on the
sites of the projects and families who
have written to the Authority request
ing applications will receive the ap-
plication blanks through the mail
Every effort has been made to make
it convenient for families to obtain the
= application forms in their own neigh
borhoods.
Chairman Breen pointed out that
the occupancy of apartments and the
management of these four projects
constituted the final phase of a pro-
gram which began Ia months ago
with taking by eminent domain of
approximately 81 acres of land, in the
latter part of May, 1899. Payments
of approximately $3,250,000 have
already been made to owners of land
and mortgages. The City of Boston
has received about 100000 for taxes
and water rents. Approximately 5000
dwelling units originally on the sub
standard sites, of which approximately
> 1880 were occupied in January, 1889,
were demolished, and the families re-
housed, with the necessity of only one
compulsory eviction. The construc-
tion program involves about fifteen
million dollars Of construction costs,
with employment to thousands of per-
sons in the building trades, skilled and
unskilled, as well as to persons en-
ployed in the fabrication Of building
materials, and to architects, drafts
men, engineers, surveyors and clerical
employees.
Chairman Breen also took this ocea-
sion to announce that the Authority
had received approval from the United
States Housing Authority to proceed
with the development of a project in
the South End in the area bounded by
Maiden Street, Harrison Avenue, East
Brookline Street and Mystic Street
Housing conditions in this area were
substandard, it was indicated, and it
was within this area that a building
recently collapsed. Appraisers are
already at work in this area, the
Chairman stated.
e