Evening star., 1962-12-02
Junior Village Is Seeking
Quarters for Overflow
District Weighs
Using Barracks
At Boiling Field
BY BETTY MILES
Star staff Writer

NNNs ~N~AA
The District Commissioners
are looking for emergency
quarters to house the overflow
at Junior Village, the city's
home for homeless youngsters.
Welfare officials on Friday
inspected barracks at Boiling
Air Force Base that might be
used for this purpose. They
were repeatedly not encouraged
with the prospects, but the
project hasn't been shelved.
Although planes no longer fly
from Boiling, the 1100th Air
Base Wing operates there.
approximately 1900 airmen
live in barracks on the base,
and % noncommissioned Of
ficers and their families and
about 30 officers and their
families also have quarters
there.
The base is a stones throw
from Junior Village in South
west Washington.
Weighing Possibilities
The commissioners also are
considering the possibilities of
taking over a hotel or motel,
shuffling space at the Districts
institution for delinquents at
Laurel, Md, and converting q
school for the youngsters use.
Mixing dependent boys and
girls like those at Junior VII
lage with delinquent children
is not ideal, but m 1859 the
Welfare Department trans
ferred Al youngsters from
Junior Village to the Children's
Center at Laurel to cope with
overcrowding.
Overcrowding has been CEN
trail to the Junior Village story
from the beginning. Six months
after 100 youngsters moved into
the eight revamped cottages at
Blue Plains in 1856, headlines
announced that the institution
was "jammed." District officials
already were talking about
three new buildings for $50
more children. There were then
so more children at Junior
Village than the 240 1t was
designed to hold.
Named for the eight recent
Presidents of the United States,
the cottages were built around
1907, but renovated before the
children moved in. The Dis
trict's Department Of Licenses
recently cited fire hazards
there.
Most Critical Now
Overcrowding has never been
as critical as 1t is today, how
ever. Junior Village had q
population Of 713 youngsters
one day last week, the record
high. The institution now
should accommodate 800. A
flat-topped, cinder- block DOR
mitory housing 80 boys was
added in another emergency
period a year ago.
-Four new buildings scheduled
for dedication in January will
bring the capacity to only 400.
Three more are authorized for
completion in July, 1854. The
Public Welfare Advisory Coun-
Gil last week urged the COM
missioners to move up this
date.
Three Of the four new build
ings going up now are cottages
designed for so children each.
Officials will crowd 66 cribs,
all they will hold. into each
instead.
Welfare Director Gerard M.
Shea has warned repeatedly in
the past Of the dangers Of fire
and the panic and stampedes
It could create in the jammed,
understaffed cottages. It Is
worse than ever today.
One woman Is on duty from
IL pm. to z am. at Taft
Cottage for youngsters 2h to
5 years old. Last week. "a chill
dren were sleeping there, two
to a bed in both the tops and
bottoms Of double decker
hunks.
100 More Children
There are 100 more children
at Junior Village now than
there were last July, but the
staff hasn't increased, Joseph
Kosisky, superintendent, said.
The staff is 100. The 1868
budget provides money for lO2
more. including n to cover the
new buildings.
II need 302 more" Mr..
KosiSky said.
The unprecedented. dramatic
and constant decline in District
relief rolls that followed q spe-
cial investigation of cheaters
launched q year ago appears
TO be a factor In the sharp
increase in Junior village In
recent months. although the
Welfare Department hasn't pre-
pared q study TO confirm this.
Applications for relief have
fallen off. and the rejection
rate Is up.
The department has Just be-
gun a study OF 1872 families
dropped specifically as cheaters
as a result Of the special in
vestigation. which showed 81
per cent Of those checked In
eligible. Welfare's records show
only 43 OF 538 children in
these families have come 10
Junior village.
Mr.. Shea told the advisory
council last week the depart
ment has not been unaware
OF It's responsibility in the area
OF foster home recruitment"
and presented a report on the
years from 1858 to 1862 show
ing an increase of l59 foster
homes. from 400 to 65s. The
number OF children IN foster
care has risen from 1905 70