University of Virginia Library

City Names Aide For Housing Problem

Special Firm Tapped
For Evicted Tenants

By Jay Steer
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

A New York-based consulting firm has been hired by Charlottesville's
City Council to help the city solve some of its housing ills.

G.A. Vogt, Mayor of Charlottesville, announced the specifics of the
decision on Wednesday, saying the move would give Charlottesville a
"professional approach" to its housing difficulties.

Consulting Firm

Mayor Vogt announced that the National Committee Against Discrimination
in Housing, a consulting firm based in New York under the direction
of Dr. Edward Rutledge, specializes in providing assistance to city
government.

Mr. Rutledge indicated in a telephone conversation Wednesday that
representatives of the firm will arrive in the city Monday.

Additional Advice

Also advising the city authorities on housing problems in a private
capacity will be Maurice Dawkins, now in the city on the staff of the
Federal Executive Institute, it was announced.

Mayor Vogt announced that Mr. Dawkins was formerly assistant
director of the Office of Economic Opportunity and as an associate
director of Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA)

The Federal Executive Institute is the new federal government training
center for high level federal executives located in the former Thomas
Jefferson Inn.

Mayor Vogt noted that Mr. Dawkins, a Negro, will also serve the city as
a special advisor on housing problems.

No Federal Funds

Clyde Gouldman, City Attorney, said yesterday that the professional
consultant will be helpful in telling the city what has been done in other
cities. Mr. Gouldman said that no federal funds will be involved in paying
this consultants fee.

This action followed a discussion between representatives of the local
Negro Community and the Charlottesville City Council Monday night. The
controversy centered around 13 families living on Page Street who were
evicted by their landlord, local entrepreneur Brenton Patterson, because he
would not meet minimum city housing requirements.

Immediate Solution

The Negro group was seeking both long range programs to relieve the
housing shortage and an immediate solution to the problems of these
families.

Various local authorities involved in this matter commented to The
Daily Progress on this latest action, including John Lowe, a member of St.
Paul's Housing Task Force.

First Step

Mr. Lowe was quoted as praising this action as "a marvelous first step -
but just a first step. While this will provide the city with resources
necessary to understand the housing problems, people are still needed on
the scene talking with residents, telling them of housing developments,
seeking their views, examining their needs at first hand.

"We still need an office and secretary located conveniently between the
Garrett Street and 10th Street neighborhoods,' he said, and added that he
plans to assure Mayor Vogt he still feels a city administrator appointed to
coordinate housing efforts is vital.

City Attorney Gouldman noted yesterday that the prosecution of Mr.
Patterson was the first of its kind in Charlottesville's history. He also noted
that these prosecutions have come about under the seventh month tenure
of Raymond Archer Charlottesville's first Negro Sanitarian.