Evening star., 1948-11-27
Child Welfare
Load at Peak as
Evictions Rise
New Construction
Blamed for Overflow
At Receiving Home

Due to the condemnation Of
houses here to make way for new
construction, the Board of Public
Welfare is faced with its highest
case load of children.
The count as of last Wednesday
showed SO children and IA infants
being given temporary care at the
annex to the Industrial Home
School at the Children's Receiving
Home. Some of them are in the
Dunbar Cottage on the Receiving
Home grounds, which is set up to
house 81 children in single rooms.
The overflow has been so great that
many of the children are sleeping
on cots in the two assembly halls.
This report was made to the
board at its November meeting yes
terday in the Municipal Center
Puilding.
The board was informed that con.
ditions will be relieved somewhat
when the new receiving home is
opened on Mount Olivet road.
cVlCtiOHS increasing.
The Child Welfare Department
informed the board that families
are being evicted in increasing
numbers, and parents have not vet
found places to house their chill
dren. The Welfare Board is their
only hope temporarily.
Not only is there not sufficient
housing accommodations for the
children, but the staff is also too
small to handle the problem, it was
said. There are 81 on the staff
which must be spread over seven
days week on a 40-hour basis. Not
only must they feed the children,
but also bathe and otherwise care
for them.
One of the cases brought to the
boards attention was a family of
a father, mother and four children.
Their house was burned and the
only habitable place left in the
structure was hallway. where they
were living when their case was
brought to the attention of the
board. There was no heat in the
building and insufficient food.
Three of the children were taken
over by the board and the youngest
was sent to Gallinger Hospital for
treatment for undernourishment.
Cellar Used as Refuge.
Another family with three chill
dren was evicted and found refuge
in the cellar of a friends house.
The friend told them they would
have to move because he needed the
cellar to store his coal.
The father was found to be suf-
fering with tuberculosis. He was
sent to Glenn Dale Sanitorium and
the three children and the mother
were given temporary shelter by the
Salvation Army.
These are typical and not exsg-
gerated cases." John w. Tramburg,
director of the Welfare Department,
told the board.
An attempt by the board to solve
the housing situation at the lnsti-
tutions has been blocked by the cor
poration counsel, the director said.
At the National Training School
for Girls (colored) there is room for
is girls, but inmates of the school
can only be sent there by the Ju-
venile Court. AS the children whom
the board seeks to help have not
been convicted by a court, the cor
poration counsel has said the board
could not place them there, the
board was told.
The board also heard a report
that the child day care centers were
filled to capacity and there is
waiting list of so more children.
The six centers have a capacity OF
270 and the enrolment is now 277.
Aid Requests Dip.
In contrast to this drab picture,
the board was informed that during
October and the first week of No
vember there were about 10 per
cent less requests for assistance
than during the preceding month.
but that this had increased a little
during the last two weeks.
The board approved the recon-
mendation of Gerard M. Shea,
superintendent of the Industrial
Home School, that he use the Bu-
reau of Rehabilitation to sponsor
boys and girls when they leave his
institution and seek employment.
1t also approved the municipal
architects proposal for renovation
and replacement of equipment at
the Home for the Aged and 1nflrm
at Blue Plains. 1t rejected a bid
for the demolition of the barns on
the home grounds because the
money was needed for improve
ments at the home.
The board approved applications
for 1S adoptions for children under
its care and approved recommended
tions for operations, suggested by
medical authorities, on 16 children
who are wards of the board.