Public Housing

Can i Get help with these documents and questions. Its due at 11:59 so about 5 hours and 14 minutes. Answering all questions for each document.

STANFORD HISTORY EDUCATION GROUP sheg.stanford.edu

Document A: Newark Housing Authority Report

In 1956, the Newark Housing Authority published a construction report that described
its work over the previous years. The excerpt below is from the construction report. It
describes the experiences of a family that moved into one of the city’s housing
projects.

It’s fine to see modern buildings with trees and grass standing where little but garbage
had blossomed before. But this obvious improvement is merely incidental to the end
purpose: giving families a place where they can live with decency and dignity.

Mrs. Walsky [and] her husband . . . were married on June 1, 1941, but it was not until
November 1945 [after the war] that they were reunited and ready to begin married life.
Newark did not roll out the red carpet for the young veteran and his wife. Several
landlords offered unheated apartments at unsentimental prices. The Walskys finally
had to do as thousands of others. They moved in with Mrs. Walsky’s father, who had
a 4-room cold water flat at 417 15th Avenue. There they stayed for eight unhappy
years while they had their three children: Donald, 9, Jeffrey, 8, and Barry, 5.

“It was a nightmare,” Mrs. Walsky says. “Every day we carried kerosene up from the
basement. We got sick of the smell from the oil stove. There was no wash basin in the
bathroom, only a tub and toilet. The two older boys slept in my father’s room and
Barry shared our bedroom. The place was falling apart. My husband bought paint and
did our bedroom over. Two weeks later the ceiling fell on Barry and me. . . . ”

“We moved in here on July 20, 1953, and things began to change right away. Here
we have a living room, three bedrooms, and kitchen and a bath—all clean and
modern. The children have new friends and play wherever they like. They sleep
better. . . .”

“Being here is a good thing for my husband and me,” Mrs. Walsky continued. “It has
changed our life for the better. I was down to 113 pounds in the slum. I’ve gained 14
pounds. And these five rooms cost us only $39 a month with gas and electric, which is
just about the same as in the cold water flat.”

Source: Newark Housing Authority, Construction Report, 1956.

Vocabulary
incidental: occurring by chance in connection with something else
unsentimental: unfriendly or not generous

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Document B: Louis Danzig

In August 1967, New Jersey Governor Richard J. Hughes created the
Governor’s Select Commission on Civil Disorder to explore causes of the
violence that erupted in Newark earlier that year. The Commission held
dozens of meetings and examined over 100 witnesses. Below is an excerpt of
sworn testimony provided by Louis Danzig, the head of the Newark Housing
Authority.

Housing conditions in Newark are now better than they have been in our time.
The greatest improvement has been made in recent years by means of urban
renewal and the public housing program.

Both of these programs have been given the utmost support by the City
Administration with the result that, in proportion to the size, Newark has the
most public housing units and the largest urban renewal program of any of the
large cities in the country.

Since 1950, 18,016 new dwelling units have been built in the city. Of these
new units, 9,752 apartments are low-rent federally assisted public housing for
low-income families. During the 1950-1967 period, 7,415 dwellings have been
demolished almost entirely as slum clearance in the urban renewal and public
housing programs. The demolished dwellings were substandard by reason of
physical condition, lack of sanitary facilities and location.

Other indications of improvement in housing conditions for the 1950-1960
period are shown by the 1960 U.S. Census. For example, dwellings classified
as dilapidated, the worst category of condition, were reduced from 12,143 to
8,521. Dwellings lacking in plumbing facilities were reduced from 16,159 to
5,928. Dwellings lacking hot water were reduced from 15,950 to 7,700.
Undoubtedly, this rate of improvement for the 1950s has been continued into
the 1960s.

Source: Testimony of Louis Danzig before the Governor’s Select Commission
on Civil Disorder, December 5, 1967.

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Document C: Public Housing in Newark’s Central Ward

From June 29 to 30, 1966 the New Jersey State Advisory Committee to the United States
Commission on Civil Rights held public meetings in Newark on public housing in the
Central Ward. The Committee, charged with investigating discrimination cases in the state,
published a report on the meetings. Below are excerpts from the Committee’s conclusions.

1.There appears to be racial discrimination in the assignment of tenants to public
housing.

2. A disparity in maintenance exists between the predominately Negro and the
predominately white projects. Tenants in the four predominately Negro projects in the
Central Ward complained of inadequate janitorial services, poorly kept grounds, delays in
restoring elevator service, and in making repairs to apartments. In addition, it was
charged that the halls and stairways were frequently dirty and darkened. Comparable
complaints were not heard from the two residents of a predominately white project.

3. There is inadequate police protection in the Central Ward projects. A high rate of
break-ins, rifling of mail boxes, and the presence of many loiterers was also alleged. . . .
Central Ward project tenants are also fearful of the police. The police, rather than being
protectors, are looked upon as a threat to their security and safety.

4. Adequate recreational facilities and play areas are not available for youngsters in the
four Central Ward public housing projects.

5. The tenants organizations have been ineffective. Many residents have little faith in the
ability of the tenants associations to improve conditions. Some association officers have
been frustrated in their attempts to communicate with Housing Authority officials.

6. Living conditions in Central Ward public housing are oppressive. Except for Felix Fuld
Court, the high-rise, institutional appearance of the three Central Ward projects creates a
feeling of depression and isolation on the part of the tenants. The projects are like
islands, apart from the rest of the community. They are poorly designed . . .

7. Public housing the Central Ward has tended to concentrate the ghetto. The
Committee recognizes that the Newark Housing Authority was primarily concerned with
slum clearance and that substandard dwellings in the Central Ward constituted the worst
slum area in the city. But in its efforts to deal with one problem, NHA, by concentrating
the ghetto, has created another.

Source: New Jersey State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on
Civil Rights, Public Housing in Newark’s Central Ward: A Report, April 1968.

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Document D: Newark Star Ledger Article

The Scudder Homes were one of the housing developments constructed in
Newark as part of redevelopment efforts.

Tenants Call for Rent Strike

Members on the Concerned Tenants of Scudder Homes yesterday called for a
rent strike against the Newark Housing Authority, beginning today, to protest
“oppressive living conditions” at the housing projects.

In addition, the tenant organization submitted a list of 24 demands which
include “the immediate dismissal or resignation of Mr. Louis Danzig as
executive director of the Housing Authority because he is insensitive to the
needs of our community.” Danzig could not be reached for comment last
night.

Rev. Dennis A. Westbrooks, coordinator of the strike, said that residents of
Scudder Homes have repeatedly asked the Housing Authority to make repairs
and improvements, but no action has been taken on the requests. . . .

Benjamin Haggans told an audience of about 200 project residents that it took
seven months to have a window put in. “The situation in these housing
projects is intolerable,” said Haggans. “There is no backing away.”

Demands made by the residents include repair of holes around pipes, around
the clock elevator service, better security and protection, improved garbage
disposal and incinerators, building directories, and repair of leaky ceilings. In
addition, the tenants are asking for fire extinguishers, checkups of waste pipe,
radiator covers, peepholes on apartment doors and laundry facilities within the
project area . . .

The resident group accused the housing authority of being “extremely slow to
act on improving the poor conditions” in Scudder Homes and expressed belief
that racial discrimination is a factor in the tardiness of repairs.

Source: Newark Star-Ledger, “Tenants Call for Rent Strike,” April 1, 1969.

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Document E: History of the First Ward

Michael Immerso is a life-long resident of Newark. His great-grandparents first
moved to the First Ward in the 1890s. In 1994, he began the First Ward
Documentary Project. This is an excerpt from his history of the First Ward that
describes residents’ reactions to the clearing of a large portion of the First
Ward to build Columbus Homes, a public housing development.

The gutting of the neighborhood began in July 1953, and it proceeded through
several phases over the next three years. One by one the little streets
surrounding Saint Lucy’s Church began to disappear. . . . Uprooted families
felt profound grief, as if mourning a loved one who had passed away too soon.
As one put it, “When they built Columbus Homes, they tore us apart.” Said
another, “It was a disaster. It broke people’s hearts.” Many felt betrayed. “It
wasn’t a choice,” said one. “You had to get out.” “They told us our homes
were slums,” said another, “they weren’t slums.” Many of the displaced had
lived in the same building all their lives. Families were torn apart.
Grandparents, aunts, and uncles who lived together under the same roof
suddenly had to find new homes. Scores of family-owned business that
thrived in the neighborhood were forced out and very few ever reopened.
Properties were condemned and although the owners received compensation,
it hardly mattered. Hardest hit were the elderly who had lived their entire lives
amid family and neighbors and within walking distance of the church. They
could not imagine living anywhere else. Some died as a result. “They were
heartbroken,” a former resident recalls. “A few months later you read their
names in the obituaries.” To this day, First Warders recall this period of
dispersal with a feeling of sadness, bitterness, and betrayal. “We knew that it
would never be the same,” said one. “Everything came to an end.”

On August 1, 1955, the Christopher Columbus Homes officially opened, but
few displaced First Warders came back to live there . . . in the end, the scale
of the buildings overwhelmed what was left of the old neighborhood. Rather
than stabilize the community, urban renewal hastened its deterioration. As
one First Warder put it, “Those projects killed the Ward. It was over after that.”
Another First Warder, commenting on the project’s size, put it in even more
bluntly: “They built monsters down there.”

Source: Michael Immerso, Newark’s Little Italy, 1997.

1. Was the development of public housing in Newark after World War II a success_2:
2. Was the development of public housing in Newark after World War II a success_1:
3. Whatevidence from DocumentA and DocumentBsupports this claim_1:
4. Whatevidence from the documents in Round 1 and Round2supports this claim_2:
5. Round 1_ Doc A Question 1c:
6. Round 1_ Doc A Question 1b:
7. Round 1_ Doc A Question 1a:
8. Round 1_ Doc A Question 2:
9. Round 1_ Doc A Question 3:
10. Round 1_ Doc A Question 4:
11. Round 1_ Doc B Question 2:
12. Round 1_ Doc B Question 3:
13. Round 1_ Doc B Question 4:
14. Round 1_ Doc B Question 5:
15. Round 2_ Doc C Question 2:
16. Round 2_ Doc C Question 3:
17. Round 2_ Doc D Question 3:
18. Round 2_ Doc D Question 4:
19. Round 2_ Doc D Question 2:
20. Round 2_ Doc E Question 2:
21. Round 2_ Doc E Question 3:
22. Round 2_ Doc E Question 4:
23. Round 2_ Doc E Question 5:
24. Round 1_ Doc B Question 1a:
25. Round 1_ Doc B Question 1b:
26. Round 2_ Doc C Question 1a:
27. Round 2_ Doc C Question 1b:
28. Round 2_ Doc C Question 1c:
29. Round 2_ Doc C Question 1d:
30. Round 2_ Doc D Question 1a:
31. Round 2_ Doc D Question 1b:
32. Round 2_ Doc E Question 1b:
33. Round 2_ Doc E Question 1a:

Document A: Newark Housing Authority Construction Report

(Sourcing) What type of document is this? Who wrote it? When?

(Close Reading) According to this document, what was life like for the Walskys before they moved into the housing project? Cite 2 examples from the document. Life was tough for Mrs. Walskys and her family who stayed in a small four room that was already falling apart

(Close Reading) According to this document, what was life like for the Walskys after they moved into the housing project? Cite 2 examples from the document.

Document B: Danzig Testimony

(Sourcing) What type of document is this? What is its date? August 1967

What is one reason why this document might be a trustworthy source of information about public housing in Newark?

What is one reason why this document might NOT be a trustworthy source of information about public housing in Newark?

(Close Reading) What is Danzig’s opinion about housing conditions in Newark? What evidence does he base his opinion on?

(Corroboration) How does Danzig’s description of housing in Newark compare to Document A?

Document C: New Jersey State Advisory Committee

(Sourcing) What type of document is this? When was it written? Who wrote it? Why was it written?

Why might this document offer such a different view of renewal in Newark than the Newark Housing Construction Report (Document A) and Danzig’s testimony (Document B)

Do you think this is a trustworthy document to determine if the redevelopment of public housing in Newark after World War II was a success? Why or why not?

Source D: Newark Star Ledger

(Sourcing) What type of document is this? When was it written? April 1, 1969

According to the document, why were the residents of the Scudder Homes calling for a rent strike? Identify 3 reasons described in the article?

(Corroboration) How does this document corroborate or contradict other documents in the lesson?

Do you think this is a trustworthy document for trying to figure out if the redevelopment of public housing in Newark after World War II was a success? Why or why not?

Document E: History of the First Ward

(Sourcing) Who wrote this document? Michael Immerso What type of documents is it?

(Close Reading) What process does this document describe?

(Corroboration) How does this document corroborate and contribute other documents in this lesson?

What type of evidence does the author use to support his (argument”

Do you think this is a trustworthy document to determine if the redevelopment of public housing was a success? Why or why not.

Was the development of public housing in Newark after World War II a success?

What evidence from the documents supports your claim?