The union times., 1948-05-08
Authority On Housing Shows That It Is Not
Entire Community, IncIud- ing Management Benefits When Low Income
 Groups Benefit

I
 When Low Income
 Groups Benefit
 (lhe tolIoaVing letter iS self
 e*PIdNdt0ry-Editor)
 ..rr April 28, 1o48" New Haven Register,
 1907 Orange Street.
 i''New Haven, Connecticut.
 Dear Sir:
 "YOur editorial in Friday night,s paper on Public Housing shocking. V caption Political Housin~, prompts me to present to you a few facts which may be welcome. even though they dispute your concIu- slOns with more exact infOrmatioy than you evidently had at the lime you wrote your opinion of the Taft. Ellender-Wagner Bill.
 "The first correction I would like to make is that the cost of PuT,Tic Housing for the next 45 years will be not $15O,OOO,OOO but $IO5.-
 Expenditures such as this like other government expenditures are made on an annual basis. If the same yard stick that opponents of Public Housino would like to apply in measuring the cost of Public Housing were apnlied to other items of federal expense lrnuI- tlplylng authorizations by 45 years) most amazing statistics would result. l he postwar budget itself would run into trillions. Agricultural expenses would run to fifty billion ($50OOO.- OOOOOO Veteran Affairs to three hundred and twenty-nine billion ($32o- lOOO,OO0,OOO) transportation and communication to sixty-two billion ($62000,0OO,0O0).
 But let us get away from the con- fusion of astronomical totals and look at the program from local point of view; namely, that of New Haven's experience.
 WHAT HAS HAPPENED
 New Haven has three public housing projects, Elm Haven, Farnam Courts, and Quinnipiac Terrace, which houses l,0o3 families who at the time of ad- mission had previously been living un- der Substandard conditions and whose incomes were low. The average in come of the original tenants was less than $1,000 per family per year.
 ''Since these projects were Open- ed in l94O I,759 families have lived in them. If there had not been housing shortage those whose in- comes increased after admission would have been forced to move, thus increasing substantially the total number of low-incOme fami- lies for whom desirable places to live were provided.
 An equivalent number Q,035) of dwellings unfit for habitation were either demolished or repaired -slum clearance.
 THE COST
 These three projects cost $5,303,- 70300 including the cost of sites. The average federal subsidy to make low rents possible, for the five and quar- ter years ending September 30, 1947, was $45,477. Incidentally, last year no federal subsidy was required because the rents had been adjusted upward during the period of higher incomes. The City has received $141, ,225.08 in voluntary payments in lieu of taxes, or an annual average of $28,245.
 The properties which were taken over had previously paid the City in taxes about $26,000 per year. Thus the City has made an actual cash profit from this improvement. In the period of lower incomes, this situation, how 0Y1d a f-y payments to the City might be reduced.
 ''Now may I ask, have you ever visited the neighbOrhOOd of DixweH Avenue and Webster Street? Grand Avenue and Hamilton Street? Would you prefer what was there before? Would you rather see the Quinnipiac Site still mostly vacant, undevelOped land? Have you check ed with the principals of the neigh bOrhOOd schools, Winchester School for instance, to learn if the children have been benefited by living in the projects? We have.
 Have you checked with the COun- cil of Social Agencies to find out if the case loads of any individual agency have been made easier by the fact that the families have had heat, plenty of hot water, and other necessities for decent and healthful living? We have. Have you checked with the Chief of the Fire Depart ment to find out about the fire losses in the areas since the fire proof buildings were built conn., pared with those when they were nothing but fire hazard structures?
 Have you checked with the Health Department to find out what it means not to have to inspect those areas, not to mention the general health of those living in the projects? Now that the City IS very aware of its problems of rubbish and rats, 1t may be interesting to know that there is no rubbish prob lem in the public housing projects be- Continued on Page Three)