Land Clearance and Housing Authorities of Saint Louis. Human Resources Division
Dates
- Existence: 1963
- Existence: 1963
Biography
The Human Resources Division was a joint division of the St. Louis Housing Authority and the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority. The Human Resources Division was created in 1963 to work with residents in both low-rent housing and the urban renewal areas. This division was intended to address the needs of low-income residents whose problems could not be solved simply by providing access to adequate housing.
The division had four sections: Home Services, Social Services, Community Organization, and Public Information. The Home Services section arranged educational programs regarding proper home management and conducted annual inspections of public housing apartment to ensure adequate standards of housekeeping. The Social Services section provided Family Counselors to work with residents in need of health care, education, job training, and employment, in addition to helping residents improve relationships with family and neighbors. The Community Organization section helped residents organize social and recreational programs, neighborhood improvement activities, and educational programs, in addition to bringing in outside agencies to provide programming and services. The Public Information section served as the liaison between public housing residents and the media, in addition to publishing “Housing Digest” for residents of public housing and “West End Horizons” for residents of the West End urban renewal area.
Programming and activities coordinated through the Division include Missouri University Extension classes on various aspects of home management; Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops; resident councils; day care centers and pre-school programs; holiday dinners for the elderly; hat shows; fashion shows; outings, including to baseball games; athletic teams; medical care, including X-ray programs and mobile dental clinics.