Evening star., 1958-05-14
by BURT HOFFMAN
star star writer

~ A#& A@N :
star star writer
Thousands Of low-income
washington families = many
with four. five. six and more
children-are eligible for public
housing but can't get In be-
cause there's no room for
them.
Finding sufiicient public
housing for families able 10 af-
ford only slum quarters Is the
most pressing problem facing
local urban renewal officials.
Displaced families who can !
afford private housing have
experienced little trouble.
Neither have those families
who have been able TO get into |
public housing. Both these
groups are able 10 get COUNSEL
ing II they need II. but often
the family that's waiting
around for a place In public !
housing Is forced TO keep on
shifting for itself while re-
naming on tenterhooks.
Sites q Problem
Som what paradoxically, |
there is no shortage of money |
10 build public housing. There
is q shortage Of places 10 put II. |
One solution Of the paradox
would be to build multi-story |
projects as has been done in
New York City and thus get |
more use fro meach square foot
Of land.
But in the view Of public |
housing offlcials, this solution |
creates a dilemma. They con-
tend that one Of the big rea-
sons Washington has not been |
faced with the public housing |
ills that have given New York |
its $40 million slums is that |
here large families are for the
most part located in individual |
row houses rather than multi
story institution-like projects. |
And so they ask: do you
want new, brick multi-story !
slums or small, spread-out row
houses that do not turn into |
slums"
The National Capital Hous-
ing Authority = Washington's |
public housing agency - now
operates more than 5000 dwell
ing units. Within two years
when projects under construc-
ton are finished. it will have |
close. to 5000 units.
5000 More Wait
But it already has more than |
5000 applications on file from |
persons who have lived in the I
District at least a year and
whose incomes are low enough |
to make them eligible right now
for public housing.
And If current trends and
policies continue, it will take
13,200 new public housing units
to house families displaced in
the next five years by public |
works, housing code enforce
ment and urban renewal prof.
ects, according to estimates of |
the. Districts urban renewal
Office. This would cost close to |
5000 million.
Yet NCHA can't find sites for |
i,400 units 1t has had permis- |
sion and money to build for the |
past three years. Extremely |
high District land costs-even 4
in some remaining blighted |
areas not slated for Redevelop-
ment Land Agency work-and /
rigid city boundaries just don't |
leave any room for more public
housing.
The housing authority will be |
able to place 1000 units in the |
Northwest development area.
That still leaves 400 units
with no place to be built. In ad-
dition the District has author
ized and the United States Pub
lie Housing Administration has
indicated it will approve an
other 1000 units.
In a recent study Of the site |
problem, Jack I. Berkman, chief |
project pla anner for NCHA,
pointed to q potential public
housing sites the authority had
to reject when it found its pro-
posals conflicted with existing
city plans. /
Other Difficulties
Many sites also had to be
rejected because of Topographic /
cal difficulties, the absence of
community facilities, because
of nearby concentrations of |
public housing. the large
amount of land in public own
ership and in use by univer-
sites, religious communities
and cemeteries, and land zoned
for low-density housing and
industrial use.
Complicating the picture is
the need for three, four and
five-bedroom units to handle
the many large families eligible.
James H. Ring, NCHA execu-
tive director, says almost $500
of the 5000 applications on
file for housing require these
large units. Comments Mr..
Berkman:
This need for larger dwell
ing units has an intimate re-
lation to the present search
for sites; for the authority has
learned that large families
should be housed in low
density properties. Other hous-
ing authorities have had major
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