Evening star., 1955-01-29
UCS Unit Calls
For Adequate
Relief Funds
Reoffirms Three
Recommendation in
SO Survey Of Needs

D1sVSy ~ tNS0S
A call for adequate funds to
meet public assistance demands
here went out to the District
Commissioners and Congress yes
terday,
1t was made by the long dor
mant Special Committee on Pub
lie Assistance, a lay group spon-
sored by United Community
Services.
In reactivating itself yester-
day. still under the Craftsmanship
Of Mrs. David L. Bazelon, the
committee Immediately reaf-
firmed three Of the recommends
tions 1t made in q 1853 survey
of relief requirements Of WASH
ington's needy. The points:
/. That Congress provide a
sufficient appropriation for
minimum subsistence" for those
on relief roles.
2. That enough funds be ap-
propriated to enlarge the public
assistance staff of the District
Welfare Department to provide
adequate service, that will hasten
rehabilitation of many Of these
needy.
Call for Adeouate Aid.
3. That the city heads base
their appropriation requests for
public assistance on current To-
cal costs and an adequate" fam
lily budget standard.
Committee members. more
over, were unanimous in the be-
lief that the legislators should
be fully informed of District re-
lief needs long in advance Of
congressional public hearings.
On the subject of where the
money will come from to meet
the relief needs. Mrs. Bazelon
said that the UCS board of
trustees soon will receive a pro-
poSal either that Congress in
crease the size of the Federal
payment to the District, or raise
District taxes, or approve some
combination of both.
Mrs, Walter Tobriner, a mem
Der of the special committee. said
the main efforts should be ex-
erted toward obtaining higher
Federal payment. She added
that some consideration should
be given to the desirability OF
changing the law that forbids |
the District to enter into bonded |
Indebtedness to finance its opera |
tions.
Resurvey Planned.
In any case, the special COM
mittee agreed to resurvey all as
poets of public assistance here in
the 10 months that have elapsed
since its last report was made.
Committeeman Harry Alpert
observed that public relief con-
ditions here have not improved
since 1858. Figures supplied the
group by District Welfare Direc-
tor Gerard M. Shea indicate the
situation is substantially worse.
Mr.. Shea said that If the
present level of payments-78
per cent of the cost of living in
February, 1953--is to be main
tanned through the rest of fiscal
1855, which ends June 80, an adj
ditional appropriation Of 1925, 900
will be needed.
Relief Rolls Increase.
Public assistance funds now
available for the full year total
S3.l million In local money and
$3.6 million in Federal matching
funds. This amount was figured
sufficient for an average of 1900 !
relief grants per month. But
while the case load was 7,483 in
January. 1854. 1t jumped to
e,451 by last December 81.
The District Commissioners,
plagued by revenue shortages,
cut out all Of the Welfare De-
partment's $176,000 request for
46 additional case workers in the
fiscal 1856 budget estimates.
Richard L. Townsend. special
assistant to Renah F. Camalier,
explained to the committee that
sit was just a question of cutting
somewhere"
Commissioner Camalier, who
was indirectly responsible for
calling the meeting. told the
committee that assisting the
needy is q matter that has his