In 1929, Grand Rapids City Manager George Welsh ordered the City Welfare Department to establish a public works relief program for the poor of the city and county. This program assisted both depression era families, along with the chronically poor. It won for Grand Rapids, as well as for Welsh, national recognition, though it was not without problems.

It is reported in “The Story of Grand Rapids,” edited by Z.Z. Lydens, that some 20,000 men, women and children were cared for through the Scrip program, with as many as 60 projects underway at the same time.

To raise funds to pay for the project, the city bonded itself and borrowed from banks. Other fund raising was done and buildings, as well as real material goods, were supplied by Kent County and Grand Rapids businesses and individuals.

Pay was earned at a rate equivalent to up to fifty cents per hour, depending upon family size, and was issued in city scrip certificates. The scrip was redeemable at the City Scrip Store for food, clothing and other supplies. These items were said to be priced comparably to prices in other retail establishments.

The program undertook a number of public works improvements projects such as parks improvements, road construction, snow removal, firewood collection, shoe and clothing repair and distribution and food preservation and distribution. At its peak the program was employing up to 600 people, primarily men, but also some women.

Some of the photos here show the new Civic Auditorium in construction, where Scrip Labor workers were used to reclaim building materials from the cleared building site. The building was later called the Welsh Auditorium.

The program came under criticism for several reasons. The most outstanding complaint was that the program was being operated outside of the mandated city business procedures. Also, local merchants felt the scrip store presented unfair competition, since it accepted scrip instead of legal tender. Finally, the program also provided a shelter for homeless single men, whom many people felt were not as needy as unemployed married men. In spite of these criticisms, the program continued until it was supplanted by the much larger Federal Works Progress Administration.