Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-04-07
|Low-Income Family
Homes Badly Needed
Here, Gen. Grant SAYS
By Rudolph Kouffmonn II


Decent dwellings must be found
for low-income families now being
turned out of their present DWELL
ings" If those families are not to be
broken up and added to the slum
population, Maj. Gen. u. S. Grant,
III, chairman of the National Cap
ital Park and Planning Commission,
said yesterday.
Gen. Grant conceded that first
priority on temporary dwellings must
go to veterans during the current
Washington housing crisis. But he
said non-veteran poor families are
being turned out of their homes at
the rate of one to several each week.
His opinions were given in a spe-
cial interview on the housing situa-
! ton arranged at the request of the
press.
| mo problem of the District of
Columbia is more deserving of a
unified effort by everyone and OF
prompt action" than meeting the
present need for temporary housing,
| he said.
Criticizes Demolitions.
| Criticizing the demolition of pri-
vate dwellings to make way for new
buildings. he said:
Private dwelling houses should
not be torn down for construction
of other buildings at the present
time if it can be legally prevented"
! He added, however, that this view
would have to be enforced by ad-
ministrative agencies and that the
commission has no jurisdiction in
the matter.
Questioned for his views on use
of park land for temporary nous
ing sites Gen. Grant said use of
public land would seem to be sound
policy" but that great care must
be used in selecting park site.
use of park or playground space
for such dwellings, if they will do
injury to permanent park values,
If they will occupy space needed
in the immediate future for recre-
alton or if they will do actual in
jury to privately owned property,
would manifestly be contrary to
the public interest," he said.
Need $4,000 More Units.
Turning to the long-range per-
manent housing problem of the
city, Gen. Grant estimated that by
1850 there will be $4,000 additional
permanent dwelling units in the
lower cost brackets needed. OF
these, he said, 10000 might be pro-
vided by remodeling OF existing
dwellings not fit for habitation.
If permanent low-cost housing
construction is to come soon enough
to be Of any assistance in the pres
ent housing shortage, he said, it is
imperative that the urban redevel-
opment bill IS. 1926, which has
passed the Senate and Is now be-
fore a subcommittee Of the House
District Committee. be passed.
Private builders, he said, have
indicated they can provide only
about half of the $1,000 needed.
He said that private. business In
Washington is less able to meet per-
manent low-cost housing needs than
in most cities. The Hast census
showed that only 1872 sper cent of
rented dwelling units in Washington
can be had for a gross rent of $50
or less a month, he painted out.
In Cincinnati, he said. this figure
is SAT per cent; New Orleans, 1913
per cent: Milwaukee, 2S.e per cent ::
Baltimore, 81 per cent, and Cleve-
land, 1875 per cent.
| Need Special Inducements.
This shows conclusively that the
law of supply and demand does not
provide dwellings for low income
families in our city and that special
inducements must be offered to per-
suade private enterprise to build
houses for them" he said
| He estimated that the average
number of persons living in Wash
! ington dwelling units has risen from