Evening star., 1944-07-27
Chest Officials
Seek Peacein
Dispute
JeIIeff and WiIIett
Go to Defense of
Housing Association

bert L. Willett, director, today came
to the defense of the Washington
Housing Association which the Fed
Grafton Of Citizens Associations
committee on housing and rent con
troll accused of using Chest funds
to present a distorted picture" OF
the slum and housing problem in
the District.
Il hope there may be some way
suggested by which we can all get
together to solve Washington's slum
housing problem" Mr.. Jelleff said
Il fear We can never do so by an
tagonizing one another"
Replying to Joseph H. Deckman
chairman of the Federation Com
mittee. who said this years Com
munity War Fund. which embraces
the Community Chest, could hope
for little success in Southeast
Washington If the Washington
Housing Association retained It's af-
filiation, Mr.. Jelleff declared that
basing ones contributions upon
whether or not any one agency
constituting this great community
enterprise meets ones approval is
taking a somewhat narrow view OF
a matter which is of paramount
Importance TO all of U.s."
Deckman's Statement Denied.
Both j. Bernard Wyckoff, presi-
dent of the Washington Housing
Association, and Mrs. Helen Duey
Hoffman, executive director, were
still out of the city today, but at
the association Office it was SAID
that Mr.. Deckman's statement that
the association had circulated
anonymous literature on the hous-
ing situation was inaccurate.
1t was said that a mimeographed
pamphlet. presenting it's views on
housing, was concluded by the line
summary by the Washington
Housing Association"
The association, it was said, has
"a total staff OF four persons, a Sec
retary and field worker. in addition
to the two officials named. All are
paid out Of the approximately sl3.-
600 allocated by the Chest and this
money also is used to pay for office
rent and supplies.
The association, organized about
10 years ago. assumed it's presen,
name in 1896. when it became af.
flliated with the chest. It received
$3.50 the first year from Chest
funds. Previously known as the
Washington Housing Committee il
had for its first chairman Frederic
A. Delano, President Roosevelt
cousin.
List Of Members.
Bylaws provide for a membership
between 20 and 25 persons. The
present membership includes, in
addition to Mrs. Hoffman and Mr.
Wyckoff, Mrs. C. Carroll Glover. ir.
first vice president: James A. Cobb
second vice president; Lawrence F.
Schmeckebier. Maj. Gen. U. S
Grant III, Mrs. Albert Atwood, Mrs
Robert Woods Bliss, Waldron Faux
ner, William j. Flather, jr.: Mrs.
Anne Archbold, J. Edward Bideman
William D. Boutwell,, DR.. Dorothy
Ferebee, Mrs. c. D. Lowe, the Rev
A. Joseph Edwards, Leifur Magnus-
son, Balthasan Meyer, Allen Pond
Miss Edith lockwood, Arthur Scho-
enthal and Lawrence M. C. Smith.
Mr.. Willett declared:
The purposes of the Community
Chest are to raise money for the
use and benefit of such agencies
engaged in social welfare or char
liable work in the District or vicin-
ity as the association determines
and to distribute those funds among
the agencies in such a manner as
to promote and coordinate an ef-
fective community social welfare
program"
He said no facts had been shown
to indicate the housing association
which investigates slum conditions
and reports sanitation violations to
proper municipal authorities, "is
not expressing the views of many
contributors" The fact that some
persons disagreed with them did not
prove its members unsocial, he
added.
Mr.. Willett said he doubted
whether many persons would refuse
to contribute to the fund if the
Washington Housing Association
was not dropped from the list OF
organizations benefiting from 1.-THE
Community Chest.