Fairfax county pilot program to give 750 a month to low income families

[Anonymous]

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/fairfax-county-pilot-program-provide-2m-guaranteed-income-180-eligible-families

Not that 750 a month is a ton of money, but hasn’t this already been tried other places? Is it scalable?

The nature of this program is that it only works if kept small-scale and it only helps the families selected.

If the county decides to tout the results of this program as a win for equity and decides to implement it for all eligible families, then housing and prices will go up and we will be in the same situation we were already in, except now you have a new welfare dependent population.

The county would be better served by examining the policies that make life unaffordable here in the first place.

[Anonymous]

What a dumb idea. Must be election time soon. Let’s buy all the votes we can.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a great way to attract residents dependent on a hand out. If they have enough money for this, then you can safely vote no bonds

[Anonymous]

We work so hard for our income and the property taxes keep going through the roof. Now the county is turning around and giving the money away?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a dumb idea. Must be election time soon. Let’s buy all the votes we can.

County Dems don’t need to do that. People vote for them no matter what, zombie like.

[Anonymous]

I will have to read up on this, as I work for a nonprofit that already does receive county funds to help house low income residents.

I don’t know that there is much that can be done to fix the outside pressures that are just making life in general unaffordable these days.

Our residents definitely need help, and charity only goes so far.

[Anonymous]

The same people who are shocked that their Chipotle lunch is $28 and claim eggs are $5 a dozen, and gas prices!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will have to read up on this, as I work for a nonprofit that already does receive county funds to help house low income residents.

I don’t know that there is much that can be done to fix the outside pressures that are just making life in general unaffordable these days.

Our residents definitely need help, and charity only goes so far.

Remember that various types of handouts of “free” money is one of the things that got us where we are today in terms of affordability. That is one of the reasons the effective minimum wage is $15 around here and one of the factors of housing becoming more expensive.

We do need more housing but we are running out of space to build. The fact is, not everyone is going to be able to afford to live here. Some people will need to double up in smaller apartments or move further out. Kinda sucks but it is what it is.

Seeing that I’m stuck in Fairfax County for a least the next few years, I need to find out who is supporting this nonsense and vote against them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:fWe work so hard for our income and the property taxes keep going through the roof. Now the county is turning around and giving the money away?

Yeah, this is how I feel about it (OP)
I am a single mom working and trying to hold onto my home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:fWe work so hard for our income and the property taxes keep going through the roof. Now the county is turning around and giving the money away?

Yeah, this is how I feel about it (OP)
I am a single mom working and trying to hold onto my home.

Are either of you living within 150% and 250% of the 2023 Federal Poverty Level or in the zip codes represented?

[Anonymous]

Love how DCUM brings so many retrograde Reaganites out of the woodwork.

Cash transfers to low-income households are one of the best ways we have to fight poverty and improve the lives of the most vulnerable, especially children. Turns out giving money to impoverished people relieves poverty. What a concept!

Here’s one recent study finding that cash transfers are associated with reduced mortality among women and kids: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06116-2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love how DCUM brings so many retrograde Reaganites out of the woodwork.

Cash transfers to low-income households are one of the best ways we have to fight poverty and improve the lives of the most vulnerable, especially children. Turns out giving money to impoverished people relieves poverty. What a concept!

Here’s one recent study finding that cash transfers are associated with reduced mortality among women and kids: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06116-2

You can volunteer your tax dollars. According to the county, 167k residents are within 200% of the poverty line. Giving each of them 9k a year would cost $1.5 billion. Last year the entire county budget was $3.5 billion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love how DCUM brings so many retrograde Reaganites out of the woodwork.

Cash transfers to low-income households are one of the best ways we have to fight poverty and improve the lives of the most vulnerable, especially children. Turns out giving money to impoverished people relieves poverty. What a concept!

Here’s one recent study finding that cash transfers are associated with reduced mortality among women and kids: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06116-2

Does Fairfax County have a high mortality rate among lower income women and children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love how DCUM brings so many retrograde Reaganites out of the woodwork.

Cash transfers to low-income households are one of the best ways we have to fight poverty and improve the lives of the most vulnerable, especially children. Turns out giving money to impoverished people relieves poverty. What a concept!

Here’s one recent study finding that cash transfers are associated with reduced mortality among women and kids: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06116-2

You can volunteer your tax dollars. According to the county, 167k residents are within 200% of the poverty line. Giving each of them 9k a year would cost $1.5 billion. Last year the entire county budget was $3.5 billion.

Not only that, but giving all 167k residents this cash would drive up housing and other costs considerably. We’d be right where we started, but worse.

And how is it fair to give this money to just a select few?

[Anonymous]

This is completely unscalable. Of course it will work and change the lives of these people. For 15 months. And then what? I guess $2M isn't that much these days, so I'm not super pissed about this, but wasn't there something (ANYTHING?) that $2M could be used for that is scalable and would help more people? Or maybe give teachers $100 to set up their classrooms so they aren't spending their own money?