Devens Tenants May Get Rent Reductions If Hardship Is Proved

After more than six weeks of operation, rents at Harvardevens Village will be reduced in cases where "monthly payment of the fair rental constitutes a financial hardship for the tenants," the Straus Hall Housing Office announced yesterday.

Although no figures were available in Straus Hall yesterday on how many of the 160-odd families now living at the Village would be affected by the move, Edward L. Francis '28, of the Office, disclosed that a staff was now working at Harvardevens to work over individual cases.

Under the proposed plan, "the gross rental, exclusive of the furniture rental, may be adjusted to 25 percent of the total not family aggregate income." In no cases, however, will rents be adjusted to less than $38 for the one bedroom unit, $41 for the two bedroom unit, and $44 for the three bedroom unit.

This compares with the present figures of $55, $48, and $41 for the three types of accommodations.

The plan, in effect, makes $152, $164, and $176 the maximum not income allowable to a family, if they are to take full advantage of the possible reductions, with partial reductions being given to those falling above the miximum but below the minimum incomes $164, $192, and $220 in this case--set by the ruling.

Francis explained that the University is required to operate under Federal Public Housing Authority in the matter of rentals, and stated that the adjustments are being made under Title 5 of the Lanham Act, which governs housing provided under the Authority.

He said that although the proposed reductions may seem slight to men attempting to make their $90 government checks stretch as far as possible, the plan was the best that could be offered at the moment.