Fairfax County’s 18-month experiment in providing at-risk households with monthly cash stipends has wrapped up, but it will still be some time before its successes and shortcomings are fully fleshed out.
“While the project itself is finalized, the research is ongoing,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said.
As Fairfax County’s guaranteed income pilot reaches the one-year mark, officials say they’re identifying the residents most in need, as they work to improve social services programs.
Launched in October 2023, the Economic Mobility Pilot — funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and the Fairfax County Human Services Council’s Innovation Fund — provides $750 in unrestricted monthly payments to 180 randomly selected households.
This fall, Fairfax County will launch a guaranteed income pilot program, following in the footsteps of neighbors including Arlington County and Alexandria.
The upcoming Fairfax County Economic Mobility Pilot (FCEMP) will begin providing families with monthly payments totaling $2 million to “promote economic stability and social capital,” according to a press release.
A pilot program that will give monthly cash assistance to select low-income residents is in development in Fairfax County.
While eligibility criteria, payment amounts, and other details are still being determined, the county has allocated $1.5 million to the effort from its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, as noted in a stimulus update to the Board of Supervisors’ budget policy committee yesterday (Tuesday).
