Evening star., 1954-05-01
35FanliIies
Stay at Doomed
Sites
DeudIine to Vucute
Arlington Projects
Already Has Passed
By 6. O. Herndon

By 6. o. Herndon
Only about 35 families will still
be around on Monday at the
last two temporary war housing
projects in Arlington, Pickett
Homes. at Columbia pike and
South Courthouse road, and Car
yer Homes. at Thirteenth and
South Queen streets.
The headlines for the families
to move out passed several hours
ago, at midnight. The few FAM
lies who still occupy the one
story cinder block dwellings were
among 100 families notified more
than month ago that yesterday
was the last day.
The bulletin board at the
Pickett Homes Office is evidence
of the last stages of an exodus
that began last summer.
The notices include a list of
rental properties supplied by q
real estate firm, a slip describ-
ing a house that may be bought
with a $500 down payment and
memos listing for sale a Duncan
Phyfe table, a refrigerator, a
studio, an oil heater and other
household miscellany.
Housed 1900 Families.
More than 1000 families lived
in the Federal Governments
five main housing projects in
Arlington during maximum oc-
cupancy. The projects. begun in
1943 under the aegis of the Pub
lie Housing Administration,
were Pickett. Carver. Shirley
Homes, 1850 South Twenty
eighth street; Stuart Homes.
1925 South Kent street. and
Early Homes, SOL South Twen-
tieth street.
Demolition of Shirley, Stuart
and Early has begun OF is about
to begin.
Benjamin Bengis, general
housing manager of the Arling-
ton projects. yesterday said 55
families still were on hand. He
said some of the occupants will
vacate over the week end. leav-
ing about 35 families on Mon
day. These will be about equally
divided between Pickett and
Carver. The latter dwelling area
was for colored families.
Agencies Aid in Relocation.
Since last July "a, when the .
Federal government first noti-
fed its Arlington tenants they
had six months to move. a va
riety of local agencies have aided
i'll the relocation. ~.
The Government itself was
extremely lenient toward the
project dwellers in regard to
extensions and delays. The dead
line for closing the Stuart and
Early projects was last Novem-
ber 80. Ninety-day extensions
were granted in hardship cases,
and provision was made for
many families to transfer to
other projects with later dead
line dates.
According to Casey Ireland.
special assistant to the Public
Housing Administrator the PHA
acted last year after specific
directions from Congress to wa
cate and dispose of all temporary
war housing projects" as quickly
as possible. Eviction proceedings.
he added, have been necessary
in some cases.
The legal procedure for evic-
ton of families, however. is
lengthy enough to give the prof.
ect dwellers nearly a month
extra after final Government
notices.
Procedure Outlined.
T. w. Frederick, chief deputy
sheriff of Arlington County, de-
scribed the exiction routine. In
the case of the Federal projects.
the Government will have to file
unlawful detainers in the Arl-
ington Clerk of Courts Office. A
County Court judge then will
set a date, usually week in ad-
vance, for the tenants to appear
in court. In court, an exiction
Judgment may be ordered to take
effect in 10 days.
At the expiration of the period
determined by the court. the
tenants, if they have not vacated.
will be served with Writs of pos
session by the county sheriff's
office. Serving of writ generally
allows the tenant an additional
five days to move.
When the war housing project
families began moving last sum-
mer, many we're referred to low
rent housing by the National
Capital Housing Authority.
Little Chance Now.
Now. however. according to
James Ring, executive director OF
the NCHA, the chances of Vir-
ginia families being relocated by
the authority are very SLIM"
He said top priority for the
placement of families in low-rent
dwelling units has been given to
persons displaced by the Rede-
velopment Land Authority in
Southwest Washington.
Meanwhile, the housing ad-
ministration projects in Virginia
are fast being returned to the
landowners from whom they
were leased. When the last
Stragglers are gone from Pickett
and Carver homes, probably by
the end of May, Government
contracts to wreckers will be
awarded. and the 10-year-old
homes. for which monthly rents