Show p ft low cost houses foundation 0 for healthy happy home life iw M A A r 14 M Z some of the 48 houses bouses being removed above to make room for tie new w homes which will have comfortable and modern living quarters similar to the top scene this slum clearance project is being sponsored by the city of frankfort ky and will house 61 families who previously occupied the area shown here washington pounding hammers buzzing saws swishing paintbrushes paint brushes and rattling plumbing are harmonizing in a new song of progress as the nation pushes forward its newborn new born drive to bring better low cost housing to millions of families in the smaller cities and towns throughout the land hundreds of small communities are swinging into the movement as uncle sam and many of his nephews carry on the task of doing something about the american families living in homes that are considered to be dangerous to health and safety while the big city slum clearance and re housing campaigns have been marching along for several years it was not until recently that the equally important re housing drive in the smaller towns moved into high gear families that had in dilapidated houses house without the decent necessities are getting new thrills by switching on real electric lights trying out their own bathtubs cooking in airy kitchens while the children play and romp around the landscaped lawns and in the playgrounds while the living conditions of these families have been revolutionized they pay the landlord about the same rent they paid in the old places when he comes around every month playing the leading role in the growing re housing movement Is the federal government through the united states housing authority thanks to the that congress dropped in its lap to lend to local communities although a sizeable part of this pile of dollars he has S gone into cleaning up the blighted areas of big cities an increasing s share hare has been pouring into small cities and towns during the past 12 to 15 months about 80 communities of less than population tio n have already benefited by the USHA program As aa a part pad of its rural housing drive new farm houses for 1300 low income families have been completed within the last year and housing authorities have been created to speed the program twin houses A typical example ot of the USHA program in action in the small town Is found at mount hope W va where the census taker counted 2361 men women and children last year borrowing 90 per cent ot of the needed from the federal agency the local housing authority raised the other 10 per cent by issuing bonds and proceeded to demolish the rows of 38 30 tottering shacks tha that thad bad been the he homes of workers for the nearby coal mines ies to house the evacuated families and others in the town 70 dwelling units are now being built in the form of twin houses extending along a narrow strip of rolling land about three quarters of a mile long facing a site being developed as a park each family will have a lot of 40 by feet tor for raising some flo flowers W and fresh vegetables in the summer government is not the only driving force in the new movement one of the most encouraging developments now taking place is the increasing interest and financial support being given by large corporations with plants in the communities to qualify tor for a new housing project it was necessary for the city of frankfort ky to agree that a collection of 48 shanty houses be demolished moli shed the schenley distillers corporation contributed for the purpose and the way was cleared tor for 61 families living there in Chi chicopee copee falls mass the chic copee manufacturing company undertook to turn a row of century old dilapidated lapi dated houses bouses into a clean modern modem and attractive group of homes today the tenants are living in the remodeled houses with play and garden fields at rentals running fr from 0 m three dollars a room per month tor for three rooms up to tour four dollars and sixty cents a room per month for give five rooms Govern government me t and corporations are also digging into their pockets to put up money to speed the building activities tor for poor groups and local citizens are stepping up to shoulder some of the load in many towns in vincennes ind tor for instance a group ot of 25 leiding leading men and women joined as the vincennes Vm cennes emergency relief committee decided that something had to be done about a squatter settlement sett lenient of nondescript hovels that stood along the river bank known as pearl city because the inhabitants depended on mussel fishing tor for a livelihood and sometimes found valuable pearls the settlement had stood for 30 years as an eyesore and a menace to health the vincennes group arranged tor for the demolition of pearl city and erected sunset court for the families here are 20 houses arranged to in a quadrangle with a fouracre four tour acre court in the center 14 are two room houses bouses and the other six are three room houses every home has a small porch facing the center court a drilled wella wells coal shed and chicken house and modern modem sanitary unit each tenant has signed a lease to pay one dollar a year as rent agreed to keep the house and surroundings clean and in good repair and works two days a month on the site |