04-27-53 Council Meeting Minutes

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Be it remembered that the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana, met in regular session in the Council Chamber, Monday, April 27th, 1953, at 7:12 P.M., Central Standard Time (8 :00 P.M. C.D.T.), with all members present except Councilman_Muszynski.. President Erler presided. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON MINUTES To the Common Council of the City of South Bend: Your Committee on the inspection and supervision of the minutes, would respectfully report that they have inspected the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council and found them correct. They therefore recommend that the same be approved. Meeting of April 13th, 19539 (Signed) WALTER C.. ERLER SR. ) " STANLEY C. KORPAL ) Committee " W. A. HAHN ) Councilman Glass made a motion that the report be accepted. Councilman Bestle seconded the motion. Motion carried. CONMUNICATION City Council South Bend, Indiana Gentlemen: 1403 Chester Street South Bend, Ind. April 22, 1953 I was present at the last Council meeting when things were said which concern me. Mr. Erler expressed views which were 'challenged by only one member. Before dealing with them, may I express my appreciation for your endless hours of work, and the wisdom and patience with which you try to meet the many problems of our city. Also, there is a sort of apology due you. Only the Public Improvements Committee was asked to a housing meeting at Hering House, and neither arrived nor informed the people waiting that they were not coming. But the point of the-remarks made concerning the Council's lack of information remains valid. The whole Council had been invited, each one by letter, to go on a tour of the housing project in Benton Harbor last fall, which was sponsored by the Women's Council for Human Relations. Not one member was interested enough to find out at first hand what that city had done to solve the housing problem for indigents and low income families in slum areas and in sub- standard homes. In addition, when committees of women visited the new members of the Council, whose views on housing were not known, it was found that lack of information did not concern them. The only one who was even receptive to information was Mr. Hahn. Because Mr. Place made the trip to Benton Harbor and ponvinc6dhimself of the facts at first hand, he could speak with conviction before you about the responsibility of government for this type of housing* He readily admits that private builders cannot meet the need. The 290 units in Benton Harbor is run by the former city building inspector, T. E. Agens. He would be glad to come to South Bend to confer with the public improvements committee, or the council as a whole. He will tell them, as he told us, that the project had the backing of the whole community, real estate men and builderss included, and that a properly administered project does not need a subsidy because the rents could cover all costs of operations From the Memphis, Tenn, Housing Authority's annual report', issued in January, 1953, I would like to quote the following paragraphs x "It should also be pointed out that while we are eligible to receive Federal subsidy to offset extremely low rentals, we have been able to meet all our obligations for seven straight years without the need of this subsidy. In other words, public housing is paying its way and still doing the,job for which it was intended." We were also told in Benton Harbor that residents stay no longer than is absolutely necessary because they, too, work toward improving their status, and toward home ownership* In Memphis last year, of 3,341 tenants,, 892 families left the 'project, either because they had improved their income beyond the limit set for renters, or were ready to buy their own home. Ninety -three bought homes• Mr. Erler calls Federal Housing "socialistic ". I wonder if he ever read the lawl Senator Taft, who sponsored the 1949 Housing Act would resent being caalled. a "socialist ". This bill subsidizes builders of big subdivisions as Mr. Place explained at the last Council meeting; it insures-loans for those who have enough money to make a down- payment to buy a house; it provides help for building farm homes. Why are all these subsidies not socialis while lifting the standard of living of the low income group is so considered? These people are subsidized now by tax payers thru welfare, and thru the exhorbitant cost of police, delinquenoy, health and crime. The prisons are packed with men, many of whom trace their plight to ack of decent living conditions when they were children. We pay and pay for our disregard of the primary causes. Then Mr. Erler mentioned the suits filed against certain cities for millions of dollarsl This is true. But what he did not say was that South Bend is also in line to be sued and for the same reasons. Throughout the country, on the strength of a contract signed by the ppoper city officials and the government in Washington, money was advanced to local Housing Authorities appointed by the Mayor, with which to purchase land and for other needs. For a variety of reasons, and due to pressures from various interests, the projects were stopped at one stage or another. The Federal government is suing so that either the cities live up to their contracts or the contracts be voided and the cities return the money they have spent* In South Bend, a contract was signed and the land known as "Maggie's Court" was purchased in the early 19401s, and condemnation proceedings were started. Some families were moved out and given priority in the proposed project as the law prescribed. Some are still living there in both rehabilitated and substandard homes* All that remains is for the pity Council to sign the authorization for -the sale of the bonds which would be repaid from the rentals. It would cost the city nothing. Yet the Council has refused to approve the financing for a project, the need for which was demonstrated even before the Housing Authority was set up. Therefore, a law suit is in the offing. With the passage of years, I am told that Maggie's Court has become valuable business property. If the Federal government loses its suit and the land is sold to business men, we will have a further aggravated shortage of low rental housing because these people will have no place to go* Mayor Joseph E.- ,Finerty of Gary, Indiana, issued a report showing the actual savings to his city by providing some 800 decent housing units for those who need it. Other cities' reports are available to the Council, if they would really become interested in facts, nor fiction. Gary's income from personal property taxes rose from $19 to $31 per family The Township Trustee saved $9 plus the cost of utilities per family per month in rentals. The housing project furnishes street lighting, library space, recreation space and equipment, fire hydrants, sanitary inspection and other public services, so the city saved all that expense. The rate of fire calls fell from 1 call to 25 families annually to 1 call to 400 families. There were fewer deaths from tuberculosis and pneumonia and far fewer illegitimate births. The report shows that 15% more youngsters stay in school and the general scholarship level of all the children rose.