Evening star., 1941-03-18
DefenseHousinu
Additions Here
Given Approval
1.425 More Units
Include Dormitories
For Single Women
BY JAMES FREE.

A supplemental defense housing
program, calling for construction of
l,425 units in the Washington area,
was approved today by President
Roosevelt. The program recon-
mended by Defense Housing Co.
ordinator c. F.. Palmer, would in
clude dormitories for 1000 single
women in the District.
The remainder of the scheduled
building would be at Fort Belvoir,
Va, where an additional $50 dwell
ing units for families of enlisted
men and civilian employees would
be installed under Government
supervision and another IS family
units would be provided by private
industry.
The additional units approved to-
day bring the total number prof.
ected to date for the District area
to Aba, of which 624 have been
assigned to private enterprise. This
total program would cost more than
$l0,000,000, Mr.. Palmer said.
Location Not Determined.
Location of the 1000 units in
dormitories for single women has
not yet been determined. it was
said. If the proposed dormitory
rentals-s2O to $50 per person per
month-promise to make this project
self-supporting, the units will be
constructed on a permanent basis
at a calculated cost of from 81 ,200,-
600 to s2,000,000, Mr.. Palmer said.
But if the prospect of a self-sup-
porting dormitory is not good, the
housing co-ordinator added, the dor
mitories will be put up as temporary
structures at an estimated cost of
from S350,000 to $500, 900.
The permanent construction would
be under the Defense Homes Corp,
allotted $40, 900, 900 last year for hous-
ing developments carrying mort
cages insured by the Federal Hous-
ing Administration. On the tenn
porary construction basis, the dor
mitories would be financed out of
temporary shelter fund allocated to
President Roosevelt for emergency
shelter purposes.
Cost of the $50 Government
financed units approved for Fort
Belvoir is to be borne by the funds
provided under the old $l50,000, 900
Lanham appropriation.
Mr.. Palmer said complete data on
the situation here still is not avail
able, but that obvious facts made
it mandatory to program these addi-
tional units at this time"
Will Review Situation.
When further data is available.
he continued, the situation will be
reviewed with the idea of satisfying
any new needs that may arise
The housing co-ordinator empha-
sized that he would prefer installa-
ton of the dormitories for single
women on a permanent basis.
'We have known for some time
through the experience of the Y. w.
C. A.-which we hope will be able
to advise and guide us in operating
the new dormitories-that Washing
ton could easily utilize an additional
$50 to 300 more units for single wom-
en- that it now has in Y. w. C. A.
facilities"
Elsa M. Peterson, Y. w. c. A.
official who attended Mr.. Palmer's
press conference, said the Y. w.
C. A. has had long waiting list
for its rooms since its present build
ing at Seventeenth and K streets
NV. was completed about five years
ago.
Construction previously recon-
mended for the District area in
cluded: 300 units for civilian per-
sonnel at the Navy Torpedo Station
in Alexandria; 300 units for civilian
and 500 for enlisted personnel at the
Navy Yard and Naval Air Station;
1000 units at Greenbelt, Md, for
civilian defense workers, and IS units
at the Arlington cantonment.
Suppllementing these projected
units, Mr.. Palmer had assigned an
additional 500 units to be supplied
for defense workers by private enter
prise.