Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-03-20
Juvenile Home
Problem Solved,
City Heads Say
Spencer, ComoIier
See Compromise PIon
Ending Long Crisis

See COMPROMISE Plon
Ending Long Crisis
Two District Commissioners
last night predicted prompt and
successful action to cope with
the long-standing crisis at the
District Receiving Home for
Children.
In fact. both Commissioner
Samuel Spencer and Commits
sioner Renah Camalier believe
the problem is solved.
Mr.. Camalier, on Radio Sta
ton WWDC's weekly Report to
The People," praised a COM
promise plan offered Friday as
IAN epoch in local welfare his
tory"
For once, money is not the
stumbling block. The Stars in
sistence that the District act to
relieve desperate overcrowding
at the home prompted the city
fathers to include a $780, 900
budget request for enlargement
of the home in the first year
of the public works program.
Most for the Money
The money has been available
since last July. Commissioner
Camalier said last night it hadn't
been spent because I'VE weren't
convinced it was feasible to
spend the money at home; we
wanted to get the most for our
money"
Now the Commissioners have
plan which Commissioner
Spencer described as 80 emf
nently sensible that I think we
are going to get pretty general
agreement"
The plan is this:
The home on Mt. divert road
would go back to its original con-
cept-as a house Of detention
for juveniles picked up by police
and awaiting court action and
for runaways from other places.
All juveniles committed to the
Welfare Department would be
removed from the home.
To accomplish these objec-
tives. the $550,000 would be split
two ways.
Would Enlarge Home
Part of the money-posSibly
5000, 000-would be used to en-
large the home. The rest would
be spent to build one or two max
imum security cottages housing
SO children each on the large
reservation of the Children's
Center at Laurel, Md.
Welfare Director Gerard M.
Shea and Director of Construc-
ton Archie Hutson will meet
together tomorrow to work out
details of construction.
Present thinking is that the
enlargement of the Receiving
Home would include second
story on one unfinished wing
and another wing. This would
provide for more bed space,
some additional single rooms
for newly admitted juveniles.
more maximum security rooms
and some additional recreation
space.
The proposed new cottages at
the Children's Center would be
a separate unit from all other
facilities. In them would be
housed the chronic runaways,
the troublemakers and others
needing close supervision.
80 Per Cent Cared For
Mr.. Shea estimated that 80
per cent of the Welfare Depart
ment wards now in the Receiv-
ing Home could be taken care
of in the proposed cottages. He
was asked about the other 10
per cent-the unwed mothers.
emotionally disturbed and psy-
chotic youngsters.
He said the unwed mothers
would go into foster homes or
into the hospital at the Chill
dren's Center. The emotionally
disturbed could be treated by
psychiatrists at the center and
the truly psychotic could go to
st. Elizabeths Hospital or Hill
crest.
Mr.. Hutson said the enlarge
ment of the Receiving Home and
the new construction at the
Children's Center could be COM
pleted within a year after he gets
the go-ahead signal from the
Commissioners.
1.-THE Receiving Home" said
Commissioner Spencer, has been
used for cases it was never in
tended for. If 1t is restricted to |
detention cases, there is still APP
parently a need for more space
but not for enlargement to triple |
its present capacity.
This is much better method !
of handling the problem"
Long Battle Recalled
Commissioner Spencer was re-
minded of the long battle that |
preceded construction of the Re-
ceiving Home, completed in 1949.
The old Board of Public Welfare
began trying to get money for q
Receiving Home in 1929. The
first appropriation came in the
1941 fiscal year but wartime re-
strictionS, incre ase d building
costs and an acrimonious contro-
versy over the size, design and
purpose Of the building caused
repeated postponementS.
For years, the battle ragged.
with the commissioners on one
side, the. welfare board on the
other and a group of citizens in
SiSting that the home he used for