Do people lie about FARMS?

[Anonymous]

In some counties, you can get special permission to go to a school that is under enrolled. Our school is getting some FARMs kids this way. We want a few more actually so we can qualify for extra staffing.

[Anonymous]

Not all FARMS kids are on benefits either. It's free AND REDUCED lunch. Reduced lunch has much higher income limits (still low for this area though.)

Also, kids who are being raised (either temporarily or permanently) by grandparents and other relatives are generally eligible, even if the grandparents are well off. You might be surprised how many grandparents are raising grandkids in some of the richer areas of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who can survive off 40k with a family and not live in subsided housing?

well for one thing, they don't pay much in the way of income taxes.

[Anonymous]

There are tens of thousands of people receiving public assistance in northern Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who can survive off 40k with a family and not live in subsided housing?

NP-- We live in a bedroom community outside 495 -- next to FTB N

I was a defense contractor for 20+ years and got laid off last April. My spouse works retail so no guaranteed income. My house is worth $550 == but we are underwater in order to sell (bought at $575)

My VEC is 340 a week / my spouse takes home base $650 bi-weekly

I wanted to stay at home with my two pre-grade school kids but it looks like I will have to go back to work to meet our bills.

FWIW, as much as I hate to go there, I've applied for FARMS, SNAP, economic hardship for energy, phone, water, etc. you name it.

My point being -- you just don't know what your neighbor is going through so don't judge FARMS or SNAP kids. we are just going through a difficult time, that's all

+1

Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school is supposedly 6% farms. Which I find amazing because that means 45 kids/750.

In our district there are ZERO apartments and ZERO condos. I am not exaggerating. Literally zero. The cheapest townhome is worth $350k and rents for $1800/month. There is no Section 8 or anything like that.

So even figuring 2 kids per family on average, there are 22 families so poor they qualify for FARMS? I have a hard time believing that.

Foster kids?

Families doubled up with relatives in their home?

Families who bought their home in better times, and are now experiencing extended unemployment?

Widow trying to stretch out a life insurance payment?

Housekeeper or other domestic servant with an exception to bring their child to the school by their work?

Kids being brought in for a special education program?

This. Honestly, I'm surprised it is so low, even at a school like Langley or Great Falls, which I'm assuming is where OP probably is.

Maybe Fairfax should redistrict.

Ours is about 6%. I'll double check. West Springfield, which is nothing like Langley or Great Falls.

[Anonymous]

19:57 here. I just checked and last year the FARMS rate had dropped to 5%.

[Anonymous]

My husband lost his job and I make 85k a year. Our mortgage (thankfully) was 1200+700 taxes/insurance. I paid 1k/m for health care for my family. 2 kids in diapers and I had to blow through 50k in savings in a year.Don't have cable, student loans or running balances on credit cards. House repairs, car payment ($400) etc. It's funny I've been know as a cheapskate but I couldn't make on $85k. How people do it on 40k is beyond me.

[Anonymous]

You wouldn't know that there is Section 8 housing in your district. Even townhouses that are $1800
At market rate could be Section 8 (because the voucher susidizes the difference between what the family can pay and what the market rate is). There are lots of Section 8 homes scattered all around Fairfax County. They don't have signs on them screaming SECTION 8.

[Anonymous]

I knew two people on farms --- single mothers who got by living with boyfriend or mother. Their hhi was probably higher than farms allows, but as a family unit (mother and kids) they didn't make more than allowed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school is supposedly 6% farms. Which I find amazing because that means 45 kids/750.

In our district there are ZERO apartments and ZERO condos. I am not exaggerating. Literally zero. The cheapest townhome is worth $350k and rents for $1800/month. There is no Section 8 or anything like that.

So even figuring 2 kids per family on average, there are 22 families so poor they qualify for FARMS? I have a hard time believing that.

Foster kids?

Families doubled up with relatives in their home?

Families who bought their home in better times, and are now experiencing extended unemployment?

Widow trying to stretch out a life insurance payment?

Housekeeper or other domestic servant with an exception to bring their child to the school by their work?

Kids being brought in for a special education program?

This. Honestly, I'm surprised it is so low, even at a school like Langley or Great Falls, which I'm assuming is where OP probably is.

Maybe Fairfax should redistrict.

Ours is about 6%. I'll double check. West Springfield, which is nothing like Langley or Great Falls.

Oh, ok. There are definitely families doubled up in West Springfield, foster families, basement rentals, and some subsidized housing intermixed. Fairfax County definitely owns property in that area that is part of their subsidized program. (I'm a former SNAP worker in Fairfax.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband lost his job and I make 85k a year. Our mortgage (thankfully) was 1200+700 taxes/insurance. I paid 1k/m for health care for my family. 2 kids in diapers and I had to blow through 50k in savings in a year.Don't have cable, student loans or running balances on credit cards. House repairs, car payment ($400) etc. It's funny I've been know as a cheapskate but I couldn't make on $85k. How people do it on 40k is beyond me.

Sounds like your health insurance was killing you there. We live off 85K a year with a similar mortgage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I knew two people on farms --- single mothers who got by living with boyfriend or mother. Their hhi was probably higher than farms allows, but as a family unit (mother and kids) they didn't make more than allowed.

This is true, too. Parents and boyfriends *generally* don't have to be on the program.

[Anonymous]

A neighbor of mine and her husband lied about their income so that their daughter would have preference in Montessori for APS. She had a few too many glasses of wine one night when we were hanging out with other neighbors and told me-well, more like bragged about it.

Her husband is self-employed and does a lot of his business in cash. He makes a lot more than he reports.

She was wasn't really working at the time.

She has her own business now and has classified it as a non-profit. There is NO way her business is a non-profit. Lies, lies, lies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A neighbor of mine and her husband lied about their income so that their daughter would have preference in Montessori for APS. She had a few too many glasses of wine one night when we were hanging out with other neighbors and told me-well, more like bragged about it.

Her husband is self-employed and does a lot of his business in cash. He makes a lot more than he reports.

She was wasn't really working at the time.

She has her own business now and has classified it as a non-profit. There is NO way her business is a non-profit. Lies, lies, lies.

Did the Montissori not ask for any verification? (In FFX so I don't know how that works?)