The Miami Times

A LETTER FROM
BILL LANTAFF

Dear Neighbor:

South Floridians are concerned with ridding not only their area and state but the nation of blighted and slum areas, and would not be adverse to calling upon the Federal Government for assistance in getting the job done. This, at least, was the trend of opinion expressed by those participating in your Congressman's "sidewalk-survey" on the question, "Do you approve of the federal public housing program?"

Sixty-two percent of the people polled said they favored and approved such a program. Thirty per cent expressed disapproval of the program and eight per cent did not register an opinion.

The greater portion of the 62 per cent which expressed approval of such a program did so by qualifying their affirmative vote with the statement, "if the program includes slum clearance and getting rid of the blighted areas, then I'm going along with it."

Some of the typical verbal expressions, both pro and con, went like this. A Miami housewife remarked,

"The greatest breeding ground for crime and criminals is the slum area. I'm for any assistance the federal government can give in cleaning up these areas."

A Hialeah contractor stated, "This may sound surprising but I approve of a federal public housing program as long as it deals with slum clearance. Some private individuals, even the local government, fail to show an interest in cleaning up the slums in their cities and towns until it looks as though the federal government is going to step in and do something about it. I favor such a program simply as an incentive to the home folks to do the job themselves."

It was clearly indicated by the great majority of those folks favoring the federal public housing program, that private enterprise should be given first opportunity to provide low-cost housing and slum rehabilitation. A gentleman in South Miami summed it up this way, "Youngsters are owed a decent places to grow up in by all of us. Sometimes it doesn't pay private enterprise to go into an area to transform the slums into a livable area. If this is the case, I don't feel that private enterprise will object to the federal government providing the necessary housing."

A North Miami Beach businessman explained his vote in opposition to the federal public housing program, in this manner,

"This slum question and providing decent places to live is a private and local problem in each section of the country. It's up to us as human beings to do something about it and not call on the federal government. As long as you have such a program it provides somebody somewhere with an excuse to talk about slum clearance, investigate slum clearance, plan slum clearance - and yet no one makes a move to do anything about slum clearance."

Sincerely yours,
BILL LANTAFF