Uniting for the next round of boundary changes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They want a poverty corner so they can minimize the number of schools dealing with poverty and let wealthier parents have the rest. Those remaining UMC families in Barcroft will further abandon the school. And the SB is fine with that.

As mentioned in another thread, these FARMS families are living in subsidized housing the county spent upwards of 500k apiece for, are recipients of tens of thousands of dollars a year worth of wrap around government services, and most were not even Arlington residents or even workers before moving in.

Meanwhile, middle class Arlington residents are being forced out because of rising rents or lack of affordability.

And your proposed solution has us subsidizing these families even more? All told each of these families can end up consuming $1 million + in county services during the time they live in Arlington. Honestly, how much more money do you think we should be providing to non-Arlington residents to come and live here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

They want a poverty corner so they can minimize the number of schools dealing with poverty and let wealthier parents have the rest. Those remaining UMC families in Barcroft will further abandon the school. And the SB is fine with that.

As mentioned in another thread, these FARMS families are living in subsidized housing the county spent upwards of 500k apiece for, are recipients of tens of thousands of dollars a year worth of wrap around government services, and most were not even Arlington residents or even workers before moving in.

Meanwhile, middle class Arlington residents are being forced out because of rising rents or lack of affordability.

And your proposed solution has us subsidizing these families even more? All told each of these families can end up consuming $1 million + in county services during the time they live in Arlington. Honestly, how much more money do you think we should be providing to non-Arlington residents to come and live here?

Affordable Housing truly is “if you build it, they will come.” Most people in Arlington AH don’t even work in Arlington. Let’s slow down building AH.

[Anonymous]

These threads all seem to follow a familiar pattern. Once everyone has exhausted themselves vilifying parents who live in other neighborhoods (“It’s South Fairlington’s fault!! It’s Columbia Heights fault!!” then the hate turns to the school board, then almost inevitably lands on affordable housing. Blaming minorities and the poor for all the things you don’t have is also a familiar thread throughout history and has been used to justify awful, brutal things. It’s nothing new. And so it goes.

[Anonymous]

Are you calliing the folks who are complaining about Arlington's housing segregation Nazis? Because that's what it sounds like. I bet you're active in the ACDC or VOICE or both. Because that is a classic tactic. Anyone who wants to point out that we could serve the poor in an more equitable way and actually live our "progressive values" by putting the housing in our own neighborhoods is a Nazi or a racist. It's the kind of simplistic crap that we've seen for years. You are the pawn of the developers who are profiting from this segregation and tanking the very schools that teach the kids you profess to help. You don't scare me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These threads all seem to follow a familiar pattern. Once everyone has exhausted themselves vilifying parents who live in other neighborhoods (“It’s South Fairlington’s fault!! It’s Columbia Heights fault!!” then the hate turns to the school board, then almost inevitably lands on affordable housing. Blaming minorities and the poor for all the things you don’t have is also a familiar thread throughout history and has been used to justify awful, brutal things. It’s nothing new. And so it goes.

Minorities are not to blame for the AH mess. They are just taking what they are given. Blame the CB for creating ghettos.

[Anonymous]

The only reason some APS schools have over 50% FARMS rates is because we are massively subsidizing people who don't even have ties to our community. We are literally bringing them in to live in Arlington, and spending high six figures to do so.

Meanwhile the county doesn't spend a dime keeping actual middle class in Arlington, regardless of how long they have lived here. Actually, it is worse than that. The county actively undermines middle class welfare in the county by concentrating poverty in what should be solidly blue collar, middle class areas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only reason some APS schools have over 50% FARMS rates is because we are massively subsidizing people who don't even have ties to our community. We are literally bringing them in to live in Arlington, and spending high six figures to do so.

Meanwhile the county doesn't spend a dime keeping actual middle class in Arlington, regardless of how long they have lived here. Actually, it is worse than that. The county actively undermines middle class welfare in the county by concentrating poverty in what should be solidly blue collar, middle class areas

This is completely false. We are not 'bringing in poor people to live in Arlington.' I get so so sick of this narrative being reported over and over. Also- one of the affordable housing goals is distribution. Stop villifying affordable housing- its not the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only reason some APS schools have over 50% FARMS rates is because we are massively subsidizing people who don't even have ties to our community. We are literally bringing them in to live in Arlington, and spending high six figures to do so.

Meanwhile the county doesn't spend a dime keeping actual middle class in Arlington, regardless of how long they have lived here. Actually, it is worse than that. The county actively undermines middle class welfare in the county by concentrating poverty in what should be solidly blue collar, middle class areas

This is completely false. We are not 'bringing in poor people to live in Arlington.' I get so so sick of this narrative being reported over and over. Also- one of the affordable housing goals is distribution. Stop villifying affordable housing- its not the problem.

PP, I think your heart is in the right place, but you have no idea what the situation is. And if a better distribution of AH is actually a goal, it's failing miserably.

There's a reason the middle class is getting upset. They're getting squeezed. The comfortably UMC in North Arlington are in denial, or uncomfortable, having some honest discussions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only reason some APS schools have over 50% FARMS rates is because we are massively subsidizing people who don't even have ties to our community. We are literally bringing them in to live in Arlington, and spending high six figures to do so.

Meanwhile the county doesn't spend a dime keeping actual middle class in Arlington, regardless of how long they have lived here. Actually, it is worse than that. The county actively undermines middle class welfare in the county by concentrating poverty in what should be solidly blue collar, middle class areas

This is completely false. We are not 'bringing in poor people to live in Arlington.' I get so so sick of this narrative being reported over and over. Also- one of the affordable housing goals is distribution. Stop villifying affordable housing- its not the problem.

Different poster. Agree that it's a worthy pursuit. But you are naive about the "goal" of distribution. They watered it down SO MUCH in the new plan a few years ago--and that was only after CARD and others demanded they not eliminate it completely (as they wanted to do). The "goals" are laughable and there is no effort to meet them whatsoever. There's not even a concrete plan to do anything at all to distribute. So save us your APAH talking points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only reason some APS schools have over 50% FARMS rates is because we are massively subsidizing people who don't even have ties to our community. We are literally bringing them in to live in Arlington, and spending high six figures to do so.

Meanwhile the county doesn't spend a dime keeping actual middle class in Arlington, regardless of how long they have lived here. Actually, it is worse than that. The county actively undermines middle class welfare in the county by concentrating poverty in what should be solidly blue collar, middle class areas

This is completely false. We are not 'bringing in poor people to live in Arlington.' I get so so sick of this narrative being reported over and over. Also- one of the affordable housing goals is distribution. Stop villifying affordable housing- its not the problem.

PP, I think your heart is in the right place, but you have no idea what the situation is. And if a better distribution of AH is actually a goal, it's failing miserably.

There's a reason the middle class is getting upset. They're getting squeezed. The comfortably UMC in North Arlington are in denial, or uncomfortable, having some honest discussions.

Actually- I know quite a bit about affordable housing in Arlington. I am not employed by them, nor do I profit in any way from it. I do have family members and close friends who are like family who live in affordable units in Arlington. They are not the dregs of society that they are made out to be on these forums. They lived in Arlington prior to moving into an affordable unit. They work in Arlington. One is employed full time in a very low wage job in Arlington. One is completely disabled and works part time.
I have helped people apply for affordable units. The paperwork documenting your income is onerous. Neither of them require the huge dollar value of 'wrap around services' that people are claiming on this thread. I'm not even entirely sure what that means in this context (e.g. how is wrap around services being defined)
The disabled individual does receive somewhat subsidized transportation through STAR- but the cost of that is vastly less than say the cost of educating one student in public schools.
Neither family owns a vehicle.
I think people are letting affordable housing become the 'bogeyman' and assuming that there is a vast conspiracy of wealthy individuals who are massively profiting on the backs of the middle class. I simply do not believe that to be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only reason some APS schools have over 50% FARMS rates is because we are massively subsidizing people who don't even have ties to our community. We are literally bringing them in to live in Arlington, and spending high six figures to do so.

Meanwhile the county doesn't spend a dime keeping actual middle class in Arlington, regardless of how long they have lived here. Actually, it is worse than that. The county actively undermines middle class welfare in the county by concentrating poverty in what should be solidly blue collar, middle class areas

This is completely false. We are not 'bringing in poor people to live in Arlington.' I get so so sick of this narrative being reported over and over. Also- one of the affordable housing goals is distribution. Stop villifying affordable housing- its not the problem.

PP, I think your heart is in the right place, but you have no idea what the situation is. And if a better distribution of AH is actually a goal, it's failing miserably.

There's a reason the middle class is getting upset. They're getting squeezed. The comfortably UMC in North Arlington are in denial, or uncomfortable, having some honest discussions.

Actually- I know quite a bit about affordable housing in Arlington. I am not employed by them, nor do I profit in any way from it. I do have family members and close friends who are like family who live in affordable units in Arlington. They are not the dregs of society that they are made out to be on these forums. They lived in Arlington prior to moving into an affordable unit. They work in Arlington. One is employed full time in a very low wage job in Arlington. One is completely disabled and works part time.
I have helped people apply for affordable units. The paperwork documenting your income is onerous. Neither of them require the huge dollar value of 'wrap around services' that people are claiming on this thread. I'm not even entirely sure what that means in this context (e.g. how is wrap around services being defined)
The disabled individual does receive somewhat subsidized transportation through STAR- but the cost of that is vastly less than say the cost of educating one student in public schools.
Neither family owns a vehicle.
I think people are letting affordable housing become the 'bogeyman' and assuming that there is a vast conspiracy of wealthy individuals who are massively profiting on the backs of the middle class. I simply do not believe that to be true.

The problem is putting affordable housing in the same neighborhoods and creating neighborhoods of affordable housing. If you want to build more, then do it throughout the county regardless of what that costs. Stop blaming Richmond and get the for-profit developers to build mixed-income housing instead of "transferring" the affordable units to the already "affordable-saturated" neighborhoods via AHIF. Stop adding more in school zones that already have 50% FRL.
Give your family and like family friends more opportunities to live in other neighborhoods, attend schools that will benefit their children socially and academically, and provide them with access to more resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These threads all seem to follow a familiar pattern. Once everyone has exhausted themselves vilifying parents who live in other neighborhoods (“It’s South Fairlington’s fault!! It’s Columbia Heights fault!!” then the hate turns to the school board, then almost inevitably lands on affordable housing. Blaming minorities and the poor for all the things you don’t have is also a familiar thread throughout history and has been used to justify awful, brutal things. It’s nothing new. And so it goes.

Minorities are not to blame for the AH mess. They are just taking what they are given. Blame the CB for creating ghettos.

The ghettos existed before AH came into existance.

[Anonymous]

actually- look at the most recent county report- the CAF's built in 2017 were distributed very well throughout the county.
https://housing.arlingtonva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2018/01/2017-Annual-Report-Final.pdf I couldn't figure out how to cut and paste the map that shows this- but look at page 11 of the report.

[Anonymous]

How are you defining distributed very well? There's nothing north of Ballston. They are not all on top of one another, no, but the richest third of the county has not a single one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:actually- look at the most recent county report- the CAF's built in 2017 were distributed very well throughout the county.
https://housing.arlingtonva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2018/01/2017-Annual-Report-Final.pdf I couldn't figure out how to cut and paste the map that shows this- but look at page 11 of the report.

Actually if you look at the report you will
See that the lion’s share is in south Arlington.