Evening star., 1940-03-08
Welfare Situation
'5ensationa!ism'
Hit by Bondy
Northeast Conference
Is Told Thut District
Needs Long Known


Robert E. Bondy, director of pub
lie welfare for the District, last
night deplored the dramatization
given the investigation of District
institutions by the House subcom-
mittee headed by Representative
D'Alesandro, which, he said, had
uncovered" conditions that have
been known for years.
Mr.. Bondy, addressing the North
east Conference of Citizens Asso-
Citations, said the entire affair had
been treated in too sensational a
manner. .
1T hasn't taken any surprise Wis
its or congressional investigations
to tell us that these needs exist.
We've known it all along. The needs
are simply beyond the present
financing program.
Fail to Keep Pace.
"The basis of public welfare work
here has been sound: public welfare
service and institutions just have
not kept pace with the growth of the
District and the corresponding
growth in the Districts needs"
The welfare director told the citi-
zens' group there was a lack of un-
derstanding about welfare work,
although he thought more progress
toward a better understanding was
being made today as far as public
needs were concerned.
The Receiving Home for Children.
the welfare director declared, is not
. suitable place for the care of chill
dren. In the case of younger chill
dren, he said more and adequate
foster homes are needed.
The Home for the Aged at Blue
Plains and the Home for the Feeble
minded at Laurel, present outstand-
ing financial needs, he declared.
Blue Plains is second hand, using
secondhand material. It's not
dignif1ed way for the Nations Cap
ital to care for its aged" MIR. Bondy
stated.
Cites Small Staff.
Questioned about the public as
sistance division of the Public We'll
fare Department. Mr.. Bondy said:
THE public assistance staff of
case workers is so small-about SO
workers-that we don't know what
the needs are or which families are
deserving and which are not. With
out more money we cannot improve
this situation. There are 5000
families at present under the partial
or entire care of the District gov
ernment."
Mr.. Bondy said the Districts re-
lief program had a tendency to
destroy family life, since married
employable msn-as such, ineligible
Tor relief moneys-had been known
to desert their families to qualify
their wives and children for relief
and assistance they could not other
wise have.
He cited the Cleveland relief
situation, which excited a Nation
wide comment recently, as an ex-
ample of the lack of understand
ing prevalent.."Cleveland took sim
gle and childless persons of relief"
Mr.. Bondy said. "The Nation was
aghast at this act. Washington
doesn't even give these persons re-
lief to begin with; no one seems
aghast about that"
Recalls Reaction.
Recalling an incident that oc-
Cured while Mr.. D'Alesandro and
himself were visiting the Home for
the Feeble le-Minded-peopled mostly
by children-Mr. Bondy said the
Maryland Representative could not
eat when he saw some of the physi-
cal deformities of the insane at
lunchtime in the institution.
F. j. Mcdonald of Dahlgren Ter
race and George Cleary, following
up the remarks of Mr.. Bondy, said
they were fully behind him in his
attempts to do the best he could
under conditions. The conference
gave Mr.. Bondy a unanimous vote
of thanks.
The meeting was held in the St.
Anthony's Church parish hall, and
A. D. Calvert, president Of the con-
ference, presided.