Fairfax County presents interim findings from economic mobility pilot; research to continue through 2026

Fairfax County’s Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday received preliminary findings from the county’s economic mobility pilot, a project launched in October 2023 that provided 180 randomly selected households with $750 per month for 18 months and wraparound supports funded through ARPA and the Human Services Innovation Fund.

The presentation, led by Chief Equity Officer Toni Zollicoffer and reviewed by United Way and George Mason University researchers, showed early positive outcomes — improved bill payment, reduced debt, modest savings and increases in mental and physical well‑being for many participants — while underscoring persistent structural barriers such as high childcare and housing costs, limits on credential recognition for immigrants, and inadequate wages.

County and partner speakers said the pilot targeted ALICE households — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — a United Way term for residents who earn too much to qualify for many public benefits but not enough to cover basic living costs. Scott Mengebier of United Way NCA told the committee that official poverty measures identify about 23,000 Fairfax households in poverty, and that an additional 102,000 households meet the ALICE definition, “bringing nearly a third of Fairfax County’s population” — which he described as about 125,000 households — into a zone of financial hardship.

Researchers from George Mason’s Center for Social…