THE HOUSE OF HELP.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20343, 16 September 1931, Page 11

THE HOUSE OF HELP.

WORK, OF ST. MARTIN'S. AN URGENT APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC. The St. Martin's House of Help, the Church of England institution that has worked so successfully to aid tho poor of the City in the last two years, is now facing the greatest crisis in its history. Unless funds can be raised — that is to say, unless voluntary gifts of money are received from the public—the House will bo compelled to curtail to a great extent the invaluable assistance it has been giving. This simply means, in the words pf the Rev. P. Kevell, wlio is in charge of the House, that "hundreds of families will be faced with absolute starvation." The St. Martin's House of Help was founded a little more than two years ago. When Mrs Herbert's Social Welfare Guild ceased to operate following the death of the founder, the Bishop of Christchurcli's Evangelical and Social Council decided that her werk must be carried on and accordingly a house — little more than a cottage —was rented in Salisbury street, and Mr lievell was placed in charge. Ever since then the institution has been engaged in supplying food, clothing, Tent, and occasional train-fares to the poverty-stricken families of Christchurch. la the last year more than 2200 separate; individual families have received assistance. Need for Public Help. During the last winter it has cost very nearly £.IOO a month in cash to run the House and all this money has come in by voluntary gifts. From now on it will cost more, because the Central Com'' rnittee of the Pound Scheme, which has been supplying the Bouse with much pf its food and clothing, has ceased operations. Already there has been a fall-ing-off in tho number of cases able to be helped, simply because there lias not been a sufficient supply pf goods to hand out and not enough money to buy goods. Cases to the number of 240 came in, and were given clpthea or food last week, but tliis total is smaller thp,n the week before, and as time goes on. unless help comes from the public, pnly the most urgent cases will be dealt with and the otherg—having enough food to keep body and soul together, perhaps, but no more —will be turned away. It has alw&ys been the House's custom to make special appeals to the public for mpney and goods and it has never been disappointed. At present the position is especially critical bo- . cause, while during the winter the Pound Scheme Committee kept tip a supply of clothes and food to meet tho special winter needs, now the Pound Scheme has been discontinued, although there has been almost no diminution In the number of appeals to the House for help. "People only come to us as a last resort," Mr Be veil remarked. "How can we turn them away? "We have been clothing and feeding whole families. Can we tell them without warning one day that there is nothing for them any longer?" > The House's System. The pitiful faces pf the seekers alter food and clothing tell their awn sad stories. The men wait in the pateli of ground before thp house, sheltered from - the street by screens of sacking, and the women have the use o£ a wniting-reoin, where, in this bitter winter weather, a small sfiro ir k«i burning lor tty>m: Then in turn they enter the office an«i tejl their stories tp Pltfl Ol the volunteer helpers, who makes a record the.case in a card-index system, and gives oaeli art order for whatever is wanted, which is presented at a little counter }n the passage-way that lejdg tp the rooms, wher? the stores are £ept. Clothes, bopts, and food gt all Wads » re given to them according to thpir negop, and then each quietly make? .w for the nejft applicant# . 4. Though there may be thirty m *? rt y people tfta little tftpfcls-GOJT II house at onpe, there is hardly poise. The ease-bearer? in the front room <jo their work quickly, and tll§ lojv voices of the applicantg are sever heard by any cars' save' theirs. la the ,ka e k , , l'Qpjns a dppen «r mgre ASta Wmep are constantly busy farting clowes awt re-packing food, wlneb if bought ln bulk, and'has to put up inte convenient quantities. In the or in the yard and yer&udali tb§ women uien W&jt quietly, the men alwayp ready to kelp wttfe s small pieee §f work that offers j ♦ "White a ?BP§ reporter wag talking to Mr EeyeU yestcrday afternoon a car drove iip Ja4ei| with a multitude ® , small packages and two or three men waiting immediately set to to upload it-.* Volunteer Workers. There are nearly sixty volunteer work*, erg connected with the how#, whp wor ■ in relays, Wfeen the l onie was Srst ' founded there was only -» w»H eroup wko worked almost continuously, Bnift wa s quickly lewd- that the SJghJ of wfcwy, wOiappwew, and want was too great a. Ptram the neryep, and .mw®. volunteers enlisted, and the work 4md«.d 9P, wth periods of TO|t. Tha task. ® the various articles o£ ,*>» and childreu's elotbing sorted keeps several people busy, wju!e a™ engaged in re-packing fpod a»d cutting up the meat supplied fey the eminent. • The building » Salisbury street is net the only part of the house » work, In Manchester street is a jumwe §a4e, open all the time to those who to pay even a little for articles of dptiiing and fpod rather than charityHere also a smng guild weets, am cuts out and aews clethwg of tne simpler kinds. The.net profit? from the sales go to help to meet the of the men's night sMteh' 4^o is accommodation consisting of tea, nee, and breakfast for forty men. Las. week in this shelter every, bed was Urgency of tlie AppeMThe hp use is making its appeal now for money and for clethei and fBPd, : but especially for money. There 10 tereat on the night shelter to be paid and the ordinary City Council rates *(> be met, quite apart from the fiasll necessary to carry on the work, 7 few weeks ago," Mr Eevell mentioned, «'I had to cut into my intercut fund a little to buy some more beds for tlic shelter. It may have been a mistake, but what could I do? Tou can t let men sleep out pn freezing nights li»e tll6S6<' ' • This week between "50 and 800 families will seek help from the house. ' They must have it, Mr Kevell says, and they will have it; but next week, when the" same numbers return again, a duforent story may have Jo be told. Ifte poverty that for, the most part lies underneath rises to the surface for a moment at the St. Martin's House, the . winter is not yet over, and unions t|e house can continue to. help those -50 destitute families they are doomed to almost eertain starvation. Already, since the appeal was opened Q8 Wpaday, small amounts have begun to tiow slowly in, but the flo<v must swell to it river before it can (safely be assumed that the work pf helping tlicso uufor--1 timate eitizens i» to continue.