Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-24

G to come to the center because
: they were known to be in diff
cult circumstances. Tickets were
issued emitting them to purchase
!. groceries-in most cases a weeks
supply-which eventually will be
paid for out of city funds.
The tickets issued to the AZ
families, averaging a little under
$50 per family totaled 1896. The
families include 302 persons, 211
of them children.
Commissioner Robert E. Nc
-Laughlin on Friday ordered the
emergency feeding program put
into effect following reports that
"a number of youngsters in the
: Southwest section--a slum-clear-
|. ance area--were going without
sssfood.
Program Is Temporary One
= The present program is tenn
porary. Mr.. Mclaughlin said q
long-terfn program will be
worked out later.
= City officials yesterday still
were not certain about either
the extent of the need for such
"a program nor exactly what its
, outlines should be.
Commissioner Mclaughlin has
said the emergency food pro-
gram will be extended to other
areas of the city if this is found
necessary. Welfare Director Ger
ard NJ. Shea said the Welfare
Department has the names of
210 children outside the South
west area whose families are not
getting public assistance and
may need help. Private agencies
and the public schools may turn
up more such families.
Mr.. Shea, who spent yesterday
morning at Barney Neighbour
hood House along with Donald
Brewer, his deputy. and ISadore
Seeman. executive director of
United Community Services. said
the gifts of food would help the
needy families. But he said the
families have many other prob
lens which remain unsolved, and
about which the city is now able
to do little
Payments Called Too Low
Mr.. Shea said the city's public
assistance payments to needy
families are too low to provide
for most of them adequately.
He also said his department has
too few workers to offer enough
counseling to those needing it.
The city also is falling to pro-
vide any direct financial help to
families in which a parent is
employed or employable. Mr..
Shea noted. 1t is mostly fani-
Lies m this category who are
receiving the current emergency
food grants. This is a new de-
parture for the District. Just
how far it will be carried out is
not yet known.
Mr.. Shea said. in his opinion,
the city should raise assistance
payments, create a permanent
program of emergency assist
ance. now entirely lacking ex-
'-cept for the current antihunger
move. and increase the Welfare
Departments staff of social
workers. He said he did not
know the prospects for such
steps, however.
Needy Homes Are Visited
Four Welfare Department
workers, directed by Mr.. Brewer
and a group of workers con-
nected with Barney Neighbour
hood House. the nearby South
west House and the Southwest
Neighborhood Project, an under
taking of Mr.. Seeman's organi-
cation. took part in yesterdays
food dispensing operation.
Members of Mr.. Brewers staff
visited the homes of seven south
west families known to welfare
workers to be in need. None of
. the families is eligible for public
assistance payments because each
has employable persons.
Two other needy families were
encountered during the visits.
One family wasn't home. Par