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minute ago when speaking on behalf of the American Municipal Association, and authorize the construction of 200,000 units a year, of lowrental public housing, to pick up the slack which has existed by reason of the fact that initial contemplation of the act of 1949 has never been brought into account.

We had in mind in 1949, when that splendid act was passed, that there would be over 800,000 units of public housing constructed by this time. The Korean war put a hiatus on it; the Appropriations Committee of the Congress put another hiatus on it, and the fact of the matter is that that housing has not been built, and in the meanwhile the need is stacking up in our larger cities.

The present authorization, as you gentlemen are aware, is 35,000 units a year. The city of Philadelphia alone needs 70,000 units right now; in one city, twice the amount which the present authorization provides for the entire country.

I would hope, also, that it would be possible to eliminate the restriction which now says that you can only get public housing in your city in an amount sufficient to take care of the families who are being displaced by your slum clearance and redevolpment projects.

We have today a waiting list of 10,000 families, available for public housing in Philadelphia, whose needs we cannot fill, and not 1 of those families has been displaced as a result of slum clearance. We have had to take care of all of those in other ways and in the existing supply of public housing.

Mr. Chairman, I would urge on you strongly, in conclusion, this one point:

As the mayor of one of our larger American communities, I see with grave concern the spread of urban blight far faster than a combination of the efforts of the local, State and Federal Governments is able to combat. We are losing this battle against blight today, and with the loss of that battle there grows an increase in crime, an increase in juvenile delinquency, a threat to the success of urban democracy. So that with all the emphasis at my command, Mr. Chairman, may urge on your committee, in conclusion, the following program:

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First, an immediate appropriation of $500 million for urban redevelopment;

Second, discretion for the Housing and Home Finance Administrator to allot redevelopment funds to States where urban renewal activities consume funds in excess of the 10 percent limitation;

Third, Government stimulation of construction of houses for middle-income families;

Fourth, continued FHA insurance of home improvement loans, but for loans of larger amounts and longer duration in order to take care, in part at least, of this problem of providing adequate housing for middle-income groups;

Fifth, the authorization of 200,000 public housing units annually; Sixth, elimination of the eligibility requirements which prohibit single individuals from public housing projects, especially the aged. I have not amplified on that, Mr. Chairman, but I have covered it in full in my statement;

Seventh, removal of the restrictions on public housing, particularly those limiting units only to households displaced by governmental activities, rather than permitting a program designed to meet existing. need;

Eighth, greater initiative on the part of the Federal Housing Administration, and the Veterans' Administration, to increasing housing opportunities for minority groups.

Mr. Chairman, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity your committee has given me to state my views at such length, and it is a great privilege to be here.

The CHAIRMAN. We are glad to have your views, Mr. Clark.

Are the municipalities in Pennsylvania limited by the constitution as to taxation and expenditures?

Mr. CLARK. We have constitutional debt limitations, Mr. Chairman, on the amounts which we can borrow. There are, however, ways and means by which that limitation is not a serious problem with us. Fundamentally, our problem is how high can we raise our taxes.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you think that low-rent public housing is absolutely essential, in an effort to clean up the slums?

Mr. CLARK. I consider it absolutely a necessity in Philadelphia, Mr. Chairman. And may I say I come to it reluctantly. I am aware of the objections to it. They are serious. But this problem is a threat to our democracy, and I have seen no other way suggested as to solving it.

May I say this, too, because some comment was made in the Senate of the United States when we testified there, along the lines that existing public housing projects were breeders of crime and delinquency and were antisocial institutions.

Quite the contrary is true, Mr. Chairman, and we submitted, in the record, in the Senate and I would be happy to do the same today-statistics which will indicate that the public housing units in Philadelphia are islands of decency in seas of delinquency.

The CHAIRMAN. You may have the opportunity to present anything you desire for the record.

(The additional data submitted by Mayor Clark are as follow:)

Hon. BRENT SPENCE,

CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Philadelphia, Pa., June 6, 1955.

Chairman, House Banking and Currency Committee,

House Office Building, Washington, D. C.

DEAR CONGRESSMAN SPENCE: In line with the request of committee members: at the hearing on May 26, I am enclosing a draft amendment which would remove various restrictions on public housing and the data contrasting delinquency of Philadelphia public housing juveniles with that of the surrounding neighborhoods. I believe that our experience here clearly reveals that decent shelter is a possible factor in reducing teen-age crime. In addition, in view of the efforts which I understand are currently being made to suggest that public housing is not serving a useful purpose, I am enclosing a brief listing of pertinent facts on the current status of Philadelphia's public housing units for the committee's consideration. The data were prepared at the request of and sent to the National Association of Real Estate Boards. The material on redevelopment delays which I also indicated I would forward is currently being prepared and will follow shortly.

I should also like to take this opportunity to clarify another point which came up during the question period following my testimony. Congressman Multer asked whether the financial institutions are cooperating in the effort to make additional housing available to minority groups, and, upon thinking the matter over, I am not sure that my reply adequately presented the full picture. The financial institutions here in Philadelphia have indicated a willingness to cooperate in this matter, but the interrelationships betwen financial, real estate, and home-builder concerns are so complex that little progress has been made. Because of this, a study of the practices and policies of all these varied elements has been undertaken, and we hope to be able to determine from that 63137-55-12

a practical course of action. Thus, it is true that the needs of minority groups have not received the same attention from financial institutions as have those of the white majority, but I would not like to leave the impression that no effort has been made.

Again let me express my appreciation for the opportunity you gave me to speak for more effective housing legislation on behalf of both the American Municipal Association and the city of Philadelphia.

Sincerely yours,

JOSEPH S. CLARK, Jr., Mayor.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO FEDERAL HOUSING LEGISLATION

TITLE III-SLUM CLEARANCE AND URBAN RENEWAL

Subsection 101 (c) of the Housing Act of 1949, as amended, is hereby amended by striking out the following from the first sentence:

"or for annual contributions or capital grants pursuant to the United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended, for any project or projects not constructed or covered by a contract for annual contributions prior to the effective date of the Housing Act of 1954."

TITLE IV-LOW RENT PUBLIC HOUSING

The United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended, is hereby amended— (1) By adding at the end of subsection 2 (2) the following sentence: "Whenever the term 'families of low income' is used in this Act, it shall include single individuals who are otherwise eligible."

(2) By striking out from subsection 10 (i) the proviso and further proviso clauses and substituting a period in place of a colon before the word “Provided.”

THE PHILADELPHIA HOUSING AUTHORITY,
Philadelphia 2, Pa., April 25, 1955.

To Persons Interested in Philadelphia's Public Housing Program:
Attached is the report for 1954 showing the number of arrests of boys, between
the ages of 7 and 17 years, who reside in public housing in Philadelphia. This is
the tenth yearly report on juvenile delinquency.

The information is made available through the joint referral program of the Crime Prevention Association and the juvenile aid bureau, department of police.

To the best of our knowledge this is an accurate report of the number of boys residing in our projects who were in difficulty with the police during 1954. Sincerely yours,

WALTER E. ALESSANDRONI, Executive Director.

THE PHILADELPHIA HOUSING AUTHORITY 1954 REPORT OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS IN PHILADELPHIA

(Prepared by Jennie Bond Groskin, supervisor of resident aids, management division)

The Philadelphia Housing Authority provides safe and sanitary dwelling units for 10,245 families. At the present time 41,593 individuals reside in public housing projects.

When housing developments were planned there was the recognition that facilities for wholesome recreation should be included.

Community buildings and play areas have provided the opportunity for group activities in the fields of health, education, child care, and recreation for all age groups. The cooperation of public agencies, through services and leadership, has made the program of community activities one of far-reaching importance. One of the major aspects of our program is the contribution it makes to the leasure-time activities of children and youth.

The interests of youth are varied and adult residents have helped in supervising many of the activities which were planned in cooperation with the participants.

The present concern regarding juvenile delinquency has pointed to the influence of the home, the school, the church, and the community in the molding of personality.

We have rehoused many families from slum areas thus improving the physical environment. Our community programs have offered opportunity for participa

tion in those activities which help in developing responsibility and good citizenship.

During 1954 the total attendance in our community buildings for all age groups was 405,974.

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These figures show our interest and concern about the young people residing in our developments and the combined efforts of management, cooperating agencies, and resident groups in planning constructively to prevent juvenile delinquency.

In compiling this report one project, Schuylkill Falls, was not included because it was not ready for occupancy until late in the fall of 1954.

Of the total number of 4,510 boys in this age group of 7 to 17 years only 130 were arrested. This was less than 3 percent.

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The attached chart shows the number of boys in each project and the number of arrests each month.

For purpose of comparison the police district in which each project is located is noted with the city rate of arrests per thousand and the project rate per thousand.

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Status of federally aided public housing in Philadelphia, May 1955

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