Evening star., 1949-12-03
Funds Lacking
To Shift Families
On SesquiS Site
81 Temporary Homes
In Anucostiu Park
Creote Legal Knot

Public housing officials said to-
day they lack funds to move the
81 families living in temporary
dwellings in Anacostia Park.
which the Sesquicentennial Com
mission wants for its Freedom
Fair next year.
Furthermore, they say. there
are no other houses now avail
able into which these families
could be moved. and recent hous-
ing legislation will not provide an
immediate answer.
The whole question is to be
threshed out Monday at meet
ing at commission headquarters.
1400 Pennsylvania avenue NV.
called by Edward Boykin, its d.
rector. The housing involved is
at Oklahoma avenue near Ben
ming road NE.
Meanwhile. an interesting legal
problem is posed: Is the Sesqui-
centennial a 'redevelopment"
within the meaning of the Dis
trict Redevelopment Act or the
National Housing Act of 1949, thus
enabling these families to get
priority on other housing?
Suitable for Few Years.
John Ihlder. executive officer of
the National Capital Housing Au-
thority, which is managing the
houses for the owners. the Public
Housing Administration, declared
they could be kept in habitable
condition at least for three or
four years longer" Mr.. Ihlder said
his group is without funds to
move the houses and set them up
elsewhere and has no other homes
for the occupants.
Other Government officials, who
asked that they not be identified.
said it would be Jasmine to set
up these chicken coops on another
site" They declared the cheapest
thing the Government could do
lis give these houses to the occu-
pants and tell them to take them
somewhere else. They contended
the houses are definitely sub
standard" and estimated it would
cost as high as $4,000 apiece to
move them to another site and
connect them to public utilities.
1T is fantastic for the Gov
ernment to be in the housing
business with such houses, for 1t
means the Government is in the
slum housing business" these of1-
|icials asserted.
I Similar Houses at $500.
I They ventured the opinion that
it is doubtful if the houses, in such
poor condition, could even be
moved. Mr.. Ihlder conceded some
of these houses are in this class.
He said similar houses are being
sold for about $500 apiece.
/ Officials of the Public Housing
Administration say they are with
out funds to provide new homes
for the 81 families or to shift the
existing structures.
Mr.. Ihlder, now finds himself
the official custodian OF homes he
fought against being brought to
Washington in the first place.
He gave this explanation of the
situation. in answer to questions
by The Star:
Toward the end of the war.
there was a very great dearth Of
housing for Negro war workers.
The National Capital Housing Au-
thority asked for money to build
permanent houses, and it was told
the barrel was empty-that the
only thing possible was these mo-
bile units-glorified trailers. After
studying them in another city, the
NCHA refused to be responsible
for bringing them to Washington.
"They are not good houses. Un-
der the pressure for additional
housing for Negro war workers. the
Federal Public Housing Admins
Itration-as it was then called
decided to bring them to WASH
Iington, made lease with private
land owners and secured permits
to use public land. such as that
ion Oklahoma avenue, near Ben
ming road NE, where the 81 fam
lilies live.
NCuA in Mana ger Role
cit then built the houses and
asked the NCHA to take the man
agement of them.
1.-THE NCHA accepted manage
ment, the houses being here and
it being responsible for local pub
| lie housing for families. Conse-
quently, its relation is that Of
manager for the owner, the pres
ent Public Housing Administra-
I'm terms of a permanent
house, all these mobile units are
definitely substandard. From the
point of view Of temporary shell
ter, however, they are temporarily
acceptable.
'"All 81 houses on Oklahoma
avenue are occupied. If family
did move out, we would have an
other from mobile unit on pri-
vate land ready to move in.
There is just one cure and that
is an adequate supply Of low-rent
dwellings"
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