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Vol. 1, No. 23 Federal Works Agency, U. 8. Housing Authority—Nathan Straus, Administrator January 16, 1940

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Dearborn Real Estate Straus Rev1ews 39 Achievements

, Board Votes to Back . .

Housing Program In National Radio Forum Speech

Faced by a serious housing short— Declaring that the USHA has dem— “Private industry can never meet ‘

age in a city whose population has onstrated its effectiveness as an in— the needs of providing homes for
jumped from 50,358 in 1980 to an es- strument to wipe out slums and build families with incomes of $900, $600,
timated 75,000 at present, and realiz- decent homes for slum families, Ad- or $400 a year. But where private
ing the penalty imposed by shack- ministrator Nathan Straus, on the enterprise has failed, Government en-
cluttered slums upon those who buy eve of the first day in the new year, terprise is succeeding. T o nigh t
and sell land, the Dearborn (Mich) summarized 1939’s public housing more than 125,000 men, women, and
Real Estate Board has thrown its achievements with the brief state- children are living in public housing
weight behind the program of the ment: “An honest chronicler at last projects. More than $600,000,000
local housing commission. can say, ‘In the year past, the slums worth of low—rent housing is under

- . In a recent meeting, the Board of my country have shrunk.’ ” way. More than 640,000 persons from
adopted a resolution approving “the Mr. Straus’s address was a feature substandard housing have moved or
Dearborn Housing Project as pre— of the National Radio Forum, over the will move within the next year into

. sented by the United States Housing Blue Network of the National Broad— decent, new, low—rent homes erected

' Authority,” The resolution was unan- casting Company. He spoke from the by local authorities under the USHA

’ imously carried. studios of WJZ, in New York City. program.

, The Dearborn Housing Commission Having just completed an inspec— “The success of the United States
was one of 24 which received funds tion tour which took him into the Housing Authority program in cities, ‘
from USHA in President Roosevelt’s cities, towns, villages, and farmlands towns, and villages has aroused a de- |
recent $47,947,000 blanket approval of 22 States, Mr. Straus could say mand that these benefits be extended
of loan contracts. The Dearborn con— with conviction: “There is no one sec- to the countryside. Thousands of
tract provides $967,000 to defray 90 tion of the country that has escaped farmers, farmhands, and sharecrop-

_ percent of the cost of a 239—unit the creeping blight of the slums. pers have urged that the housing pro-
project. Those of you who think that slums are gram be extended to include them.

According to the Dearborn Com— something confined to the big cities “During the past months the De—

mission’s application for financial as- have never sought out the by-ways partment of Agriculture and the

sistance, there is not a vacant dwell- and side streets of the towns, vil- Farm Security Administration, under

' ing in the city within the means of lages, and hamlets. the leadership of Secretary Wallace,

, low—income families. Consequently, “The squalor and dirt and misery have been working with the United
many have established themselves in of the blighted areas in the small States Housing Authority and the
shacks and trailer camps on the out— towns is as bad as anything that can county housing authorities in the
skirts of the city, be found in the slums of New York, development of a housing plan for the

From the beginning of 1930 Chicago, or Philadelphia. East, West, farms and plantations.”

. through August 31, 1939, the popula— North, and South, there are slums. In Mr. Straus summed up the USHA
tion increased by about 6,850 fami- every town and village, large or small, program by reciting its results:
lies. During the same period, the net there are crumbling, leaking, rotting “Increased“ employment, expanded

. , . gain in new dwellings was only 3,306, structures, which, by any possible construction, a stable prosperity,
or less than half the family increase, standard of decency, are fit only to based on that soundest of all economic
and very little of the new construc— be demolished. Every one of them is assets, low-refit h' m g ,
tion was intended for low—income the only roof over the head of some United States; Htgiusing“ Aug-Foggy
families. American family tonight. program.”
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