Boston YMHA Hecht House

              Roport-Juno 19S&Vooo 1937
orcativo work.    Hocht Houso supplios that -ico*?..
Tho govornmont in two years has changod its roll of policy, assuming,
rightly,  that tho govornmont has tho rospunsibility for giving jobs to non
who cannot find work.     Tho W.P.A.—work relief—started in Octobor 1935,
roachod its poak tho following April and continuod full forco for one yoar.
During that year, wo had 35 full-timo workers in tho following dopartmonts:
art, 1; Vlock-printlng,  1; woaving, knitting, and crocheting, 1; motal-
craft,  1;  loathor-oraft,  1;  and girap-laclng,  1; rocroatlon,  10;  choral, 2;
harmonica,  1; danolng and dramatics, 3; and gymnasium, 13,    A drastic cut
took placo In tho Spring ot 1937, leaving us with 3 workers in tho following
dopartmonts: metal-craft, 1; recrontlon, 2.
Tho govornaont also sot up tho National Youth Administration to holp
toko care of tho slxtoon to tv»-cnty-flvo year old group, paying thorn at first
twenty-flvo dollars a month for olovon hours a wook (tho amount is continually being decroasod) and putting than, too, on work-rollof.    Hocht Houso
has had a group of about 23 H.Y.A. nonbora working In tho offioe, with art
and dramatic groups,  in chock room,  In gym,  in gano-rooma, and as door-keepers*    They havb boen with us sinco January,  1936, with practically no turnover, as fow of than havo found jobs.
In addition to tho abovo, wo wore glvon the services of throo full-tlno
W.P.A.  Janitors and flftoon N.Y.A.  collego students, oach of whom worked
about olevon hours a wook.    For about two years, wo housed tho W.P.A.
Yiddish Dramatic and Music groups.
Wo found that most of tho W,P.A.  ond N.Y.;_  workors wore not lntorostod
in their work.     Group work rcquiros a certain tochnlquo, but noro than that,
a roal qnthuaiasra, which thoso workors lacked.    Out of sovonty-3lx workors,
thoro wero not moro than sovon oxcoptions—peoplo who really enjoyed tho
vrork.    Thoso sovon pooplo aro superior montally (throe aro collogo N.Y.A.).
_sat of tho workors did tho work automatically,  considorod it only temporary