Evening star., 1960-10-02
Shea 10 Seek
Junior Village
Budget Rise
Sees Youth Home
Lacking Facilities
To Meet Demands
BY BETTY MILES
star stan Writer

an emergency appeal to the
District Commissioners this
week for nearly a half million
dollars more for Junior VII
lage in fiscal 1862.
Mr.. Shea's plea for $491 ,682
additional is part of his over
all effort to bring the city's
refuge for homeless youngsters
into line with the number of
children actually living there.
Close to 500 boys and girls
are sheltered at Junior Village
today, The institution was de-
signed to accommodate 240.
Mr.. Shea's Junior Village ap-
peal. to be presented to the
Commissioners at hearings
Tuesday, was prompted by an
all-time high in the homes
population-492 on September
2l-and word from the De-
partment Of Buildings and
Grounds that three new build
ings will be ready for occu-
pancy at the institution by the
latter half Of fiscal 1862.
Would Increase staff
The budget Office had rec
commended an increase of $ll7,-
22S for Junior Village, bringing
its proposed total for fiscal
1862 to $903.084.
The appeal money would COW
er 109 more positions, 66 to
staff the new buildings-two
new cottages and the admiS-
sions and infirmary building
from January 1862 to July /,
l962-and 43 to increase stats
In the eight existing cottages
Some of the latter positions
were sought earlier by the de-
partment and denied by the
budget office.
Among the professional stafi
would be seven nurses. 80 nurs-
ing assistants, two teachers, one
social worker and 35 counselors
Attention is what a lot OF
these children crave. If they're
ever going to get it we have
to give 1t to them" Mr.. Shea
said.
Mr.. Shea hopes to transfer
the smallest children to the
two new cottages, where q nurs-
cry school would be provided
for the first time In classrooml
there. Junior Village school now
starts at kindergarten.
Recreation Space Needed
In another phase Of the over.
all relief from overcrowdina
would be gained in the eight
existing cottages at Blue Plains
by adding Quonset hutS as rec
reation areas.
I'VE would accept once ant
for all the fact that the cot.
tages will have to be used ir
the future as we're using then
now, with about twice as many
children living there as we hac
planned, and with living areas
used for sleeping" Mr.. Shea
said.
The Quonset huts would giv'
us back recreation space we've
lost, and at the same time re.
lieve overcrowding in the sleep
ing areas-although we'd still
have to use double decker beds
in rooms designed for single
beds"
Mr.. Shea has sought the ap'
proval of the Department oi
Buildings and Grounds and the
budget Office to buy four Quon'
set huts, to be shared by eight
cottages, with $4,000 trans
ferred within the Welfare De.
partment.
The three new buildings anc
the Quonset hut plan still
would bring the normal ca.
pacity Of the institution to only
400. A third new cottage ap.
proved by the budget office ir
capital outlay for fiscal 1876:
would raise this to $50.
Report Spurred Move
A new school building ap.
proved by the budget Office but
delayed until fiscal 1864 woulc
free some of the living spact
now occupied by classrooms
and bring the total accommo-
dations to about 500.
Overcrowding at Junior Viii
lage inspired the widely pub
licized report, What Price De-
pendency?" released last Me-
vember by6a committee of tfe
D. C. Health and WelfaIe
Council. The report explored
life at the institution and call6
on the District Commissioners
to launch concerted attack n
community conditions contrib
uting to family breakdown ard
inadequacy.
The average daily popuh-
ton at Junior Village has
grown an average of go CHI
dren each year for the list
five years. Mr.. Shea said.
The welfare director will SEX
also restoration of an adj
tional $358.000, primarily for
personnel for other departm,nt
divisions, bringing his tstal
appeal to $849, ,682. The buCget
Office recommended $40, ,961B27
as the operating budget for
! welfare for fiscal 1862.
Veteran Nurse
Is n