The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1943-11-20
Mother


N0nun0c0 tfO3 GekU ~
hand knowledge OF these conditions
found that even though her letter
pulled at the very heart strings,
conditions under which this family
exist are worse than she had pic
tured. Below is her letter 10 the
editor:
Dear Mr.. Martin:
I am writing TO see II you can
help me with very serious prob
lem rye done everything know
Go do with no results
am expecting q baby In about
two weeks. ] have no home for IL
when ] come out OF the hospital
We are now living in storage
room in a basement where we can't
get fresh air nor sunshine. II is
atout . X 10. We have two beds in
It. My mother and my oldest child
Ga four-yesr-old boyl sleep on a
twin bed Ny husband. my baby ns
months old and I sleep on the
other. II is a three-quarter size bed
There isn't room for q crib even IL
this were AZ quarters 10 bring o
newborn infant into.
Saw Housing Commission
have been 10 the Housing Com
mission so much I'm surprised
didn't fall on the street I've been
sick enough 10 do so. They had
projects in Ecorse and on Middle.
belt Road, but we couldn't get in
either one because my husband is
q mechanic for the DSR. They said
he worked in an undesignated area.
We were promised one Of the pro-
3ects at Eight Mile and Wyoming
Z went down and filled out an appli-
cation but ! have heard no more
erom II.
wrote the editor OF the Free
Press. He read my letter on their
program. an My Opinion" But !
didn't get any help from that source
] wrote one OF the directors OF the
Housing Commission. He answered
THAT he couldn't do anything for me
His name is Charles Edgecomb. ]
hid called and asked Mr.. Starr. the
director at 307 w. Fort about the
projects He had told me 10 keep
IN touch with him When I called
be told me ne didn't know any more
about when they would be ready
chan ] did He asked II thought !
vas eligible said certainly did
And to that he replied that there
were 10000 other colored folks
claiming eligibility and he guessed
that II they couldn't place them all
ehey would have another riot. I
wrote and told Mr.. Edgecomb about
r. He answered that he could tell
ne no more than Mr. Starr and that
Che projects would be ready some
6me In the Fall
STREET.-THE Street Search
NY husband works in the day
time. so I have had to do most Of
Che househunting. and now I'm too
heavy 70 90 any more. rye really
run myself ragged. We even took
street by street and wen. from door
% door and asked people about
places. No one had any room. Or
&c gretted that they couldn't take
children. We asked strangers on
street cars, buses. in stores. on the
street and in churches. about places
With the same results. We answered
cd after ad with the same result
The places are either for white or
Dor colored with no children.
My husband is a minister. We
don't drink and have parties and
our children are as we'll behaved as
D four-year-old and an l8-months-
old can be. In other words, they
don't control US, we control them.
We would buy place. but We
have only been here since January
and after my husband got job We
began to pay of the debts we left
behind. So we have only enough
saved for my hospital and doctor
bills. .
don't know now Mr.. Martin,
which way to turn. Can you help
me or advise me? I am respondent
Never before in my life have been
without home.
You can come here and see for
yourself the predicament we are
In. Please help us. II you can. -
Respectfully. tMrs) Mary Wash
tngton.
No Light On Stairs
At the frame building in whose
basement the Washingtons live. re-
porters had 10 walk down a dark
hallway at the end Of which was
found a steep flight Of narrow stairs
No light penetrated this stairway
snd after feeling their way down
they had 10 bend over 10 keep from
striking their heads against maze
OF pipes and rafters as they made
their way TO the entrance OF the
room.
Inside they found two small chill.
cren, Herman Douglas. aged 4. and
John Frederick Washington aged
18 months. playing with their grand
mother. Mrs. H. B. Billingsly. Be-
tween the two beds Mrs Washing
con was preparing food on crowd.
ed table - food which she would
have to carry up the stairs 10 cook
when other tenants were not using
the stove. The room" has no sani-
tary facilities not even running
water. The single space left for a