Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-18
DC. Relief Demands
Cause Forecast Of
S50O,OOO Deficit

Steadily rising relief loads Will
leave District Welfare Depart
ment funds about $500, 900 short
by the end of this fiscal year.
If the unprecedented deficit is
not made up. relief payments
must be substantially cut next
spring.
The Public Welfare Advisory
Council yesterday approved. re-
quest to the Commissioners to
ask Congress, in January, for a
supplemental $252,000 appropri-
alton, which would be matched
by approximately equal Federal
funds to make up the antici-
pated deficit.
Public Welfare Director Gerard
M. Shea said he believes the
amount is the largest deficit the
department has had.
District Commissioner Renah
r. Camalier said today that. If
the Welfare Department can
demonstrate the need, he will
appeal to the Board of Commits
s1oners to request Congress for
a supplemental appropriation.
Abnormal Demands.
Mr.. Camalier said he has been
apprehensive for some time that
public assistance appropriations
for the current fiscal year would
be inadequate.
Relief demands have been
abnormal" he said. II believe
the reason is that there has heen
a lack of opportunity for new
employment in the District as a
result of the increased popula-
tion."
The Commissioner emphasized
that he did not mean by this
observation that he feels unem-
ployment by standards of, say a
year ago. is increasing.
The current budget for public
assistance provides for an. aver
age of 1900 grants per month.
The grants are based on 70 per
cent cost-of- Living index for Feb
ruary. 1853. But the actual aver
age for the year will be $3.50
grants, Mr.. Shea estimates.
Sees Climb at 9,227.
In July. the first month of
the fiscal year, 8,049 grants were
paid. Mr.. Shea calculates that
the current trend will take the
number up to 1927 grants a
month by the end of the fiscal
year.
New applications for assist
ance reached record high of
1906 last month. Mr.. Shea
noted, however, that the num-
Der of applications resulting
from unemployment has been
decreasing.
The requested supplemental
appropriation includes $228,l66
for relief payments and $4,000
for additional workers to serve
the increased caseload. Included
are eight social workers and
three special investigators, who
would be used in locating absent
fathers and otherwise turning
up undisclosed resources Of re-,
lief. recipients. -...
The salary of the additional
workers is computed from Jarlu-
airy, the earliest Congress could
act on the request.
Heavy Cuts the Alternative.
If the money is not appropri-
ated, Mr.. Shea, said,s really sub
stantial cuts will have to be
made in all our payments, be-
ginning no later than April. We
have no other resources"
Earlier this week, in submitting
Its 1856 budget request, the We'll
fare Department estimated an
average of 1892 relief cases, a
month, lower figure than the
estimate made in the supple
mental request for this year.
Mr.. Shea explains that he hopes
by hiring more case workers next
year to attack the factors that
put people on relief.
Another move to cut down on
the need for relief is the planned
reassignment or case workers
among different categories. The
council yesterday approved a
plan to tighten the load Of
workers dealing with aid to de-
pendent children and increase
the load of other workers.
Self Sufficiency Is Aim.
The average grant for care Of
dependent children is $105.15,
higher than that for adults re-
ceiving assistance. The depart
ment wants to intensity its work
with children, Mr.. Shea said.
because this is the area in which
there is the greatest potential
for rehabilitation"
The aim of the plan is to offer