Nehemiah Housing

Thank you for your hopeful editorial on Nehemiah West Housing Corp. (April 10). It would be wonderful if HUD could be replaced by similar ventures all over this land. That, however, is probably the stuff of dreams. How many times in how many places could or would churches and banks come up with so much money for 1,100 houses? How far do 1,100 houses go toward relieving the scandal of substandard housing and homelessness?

Your arithmetic suggests that a household earning $6 an hour would earn about $21,000 a year. My arithmetic shows that could happen only if the earner worked more than 85 hours a week.

HELEN KELLEY, IHM

Los Angeles

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How can the Catholic and Episcopal churches contribute nearly $3.5 million to the Nehemiah housing project? I had the understanding that churches are nonprofit, tax-free institutions.

If their books show millions of dollars available to invest in a non-religious housing project, then I expect them to give up their tax-free, nonprofit status and join me as a contributing taxpayer.

GEORGE WOOD

Malibu