Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!

⛅️ Today’s weather: There is a 20% chance of brief showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening, with mostly sunny weather and a high of 89°F. Light winds will shift from east to south in the morning. On Thursday night, the chance of showers continues with partly cloudy skies, a low of 73°F, and southwest winds around 8-10 mph.

🚨 You need to know

A little less than a year after Alexandria got its guaranteed income program going, neighboring Fairfax County is following suit.

Fairfax County announced last week that an application portal is opening next month for its Economic Mobility Pilot, which provides payment to eligible households, optional financial coaching, and supportive resources. The goal of the program is to promote economic stability and secure social capital for those in need. The pilot will pay $750 to 180 eligible families for 15 months.

The program consists of:

• A monthly payment of $750 to 180 eligible families for 15 months.
• Freedom of choice for the families to use the cash as they deem necessary.
• Optional financial coaching and the opportunity to increase their social networks through virtual or in-person events.

To qualify, applicants must be employed, have one child 16 or younger living in the household, and have an income somewhere between 150% and 250% of the Federal Poverty Level. Applicants also, obviously, need to live in Fairfax County.

According to the release:

While Fairfax County is a great place to live, work, learn and play, persistent racial and social inequities remain, which result in significant disparities in community outcomes. To confront these realities, Fairfax County has embraced a vision of One Fairfax: A declaration that all residents deserve an equitable opportunity to succeed.

Alexandria started its equivalent, the Alexandria Recurring Income for Success and Equity program (ARISE), earlier this year. Alexandria’s program gave 170 participants $500 per month over a 24-month period.

1. Woodrow Wilson Bridge opening scheduled Thursday night (6255 views)
2. Alexandria activating new speed cameras as school year kicks off (6255 views)

🐦 Tweets of note

The City of Alexandria is working on a grant application for curb extensions near Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School, which would make it safer for our families to walk to and from school. Share your thoughts by Aug. 27, 2023: https://t.co/1j3P8eCTVZ pic.twitter.com/OFsOiKk6PD

— Samuel W. Tucker ES (@SamuelWTuckerES) August 15, 2023

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.

• No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

The City of Alexandria has a new tool that highlights areas where income levels vary significantly by racial and ethnic groups.

The new Equity Index Map map isn’t a chart of levels of poverty across Alexandria, as some of the wealthiest and poorest communities across Alexandria have low levels of disparity. Instead, it highlights census tracts where race and indicators of economic inequality are closely linked.

The map identifies “disparities between racial/ethnic groups in key socioeconomic outcomes” along with resources to examine the root cause of “entrenched inequities in Alexandria.”

The tool is part of a three-year-long effort by City of Alexandria’s Race and Social Equity (RASE) Office to develop more tools to examine inequalities in the city.

The map tracks things like “homeownership disparities” and “median income disparities” — the levels of inequality in terms of home ownership and income. The map is broken up along census tract lines.

Taylor Run and North Ridge are two areas the map considers to have the most severe disparities. Both census tracts ranked fairly high in poverty disparity. The map does not provide specific information about comparisons on racial/ethic lines, but the map’s racial equity index score indicates a racial element to the disparity between residents of affordable high rises along Duke Street and homeowners in the Taylor Run neighborhood within the same census tract.

The full release from the city is below:

The City of Alexandria will launch an Equity Index Map for use by City agencies, City Council, and community partners. For the last three years, the City’s Race and Social Equity (RASE) Office has been working to develop tools to promote equity throughout our community. This new resource will promote the intentional use of data to eliminate systemic and institutional inequities experienced by residents.

On Thursday, May 4, the RASE Office will launch the Equity Index Map in an interactive event, held from 2 to 4 p.m., at Alexandria Renew Enterprises, 6th Floor Conference Center, 1800 Limerick Street, Alexandria, Virginia. The launch will give participants the opportunity to explore and understand how to use the map to address real-world challenges. Please register for the event by filling out the Equity Index Map Launch Registration Form.

The two key components of the Equity Index Map — the Racial Equity Index and the Social Opportunity Indicators — capture the magnitude of disparities between racial/ethnic groups in key socioeconomic outcomes and help users explore the factors that may drive those disparities. The Equity Index Map provides users with a resource to think about the root causes of the entrenched inequities in Alexandria and how City leaders can address those root causes to achieve equity for all.

A series of opportunities will be available to engage with residents regarding the forthcoming equity resources as the City moves toward a more intentionally equitable future.

Since hiring the City’s first Race and Social Equity Officer, internal and external contributors to the City’s equity commitment have begun engaging in equity training, addressing inequities in their services, and applying an equity lens to their work to determine how to best serve all Alexandrians.

In 2021, City Council adopted the ALL Alexandria Resolution, the commitment by City leaders to race and social equity through increased knowledge, understanding, and dynamic engagement throughout our entire community. View the ALL Alexandria Resolution video.

Residents divided over plan to rename Lee Street — “For some residents, the news came as a welcome surprise and a step toward removing Confederate namesakes from the city’s streets and honoring figures or ideas they deem more worthy. For others, the petition represented an attempt to erase the city’s connection to commander of the Confederate Army Robert E. Lee, who grew up in Alexandria and has long been a focal point of the city’s history tourism.” [Alex Times]

Basic income pilot starts this fall in Alexandria — “Bolstered by nearly $60 million in federal pandemic relief money, the independent jurisdiction in Northern Virginia plans to begin sending $500 debit cards to 150 families each month for two years, starting sometime this fall… Alexandria is funding its new basic income initiative with $3 million in American Rescue Plan money.” (dcist)

Grocery delivery store Foxtrot under construction in Old Town — “According to a report by Supermarket News, Foxtrot’s expansion to Virginia is part of a larger effort to open 50 new stores within the next two years. Foxtrot’s new Alexandria location will be situated prominently at the intersection of King Street and Washington Street.” [Alexandria Living]

‘Holy Cow’ names burger after Noah Lyles — “Congrats to Alexandrian Noah Lyles for bringing home the Bronze!!! Holy Cow Del Ray is celebrating with a BOTM in his honor. #visitdelray #titanpride #olympics2020″ [Facebook]

Today’s weather — “Mostly sunny skies. High 91F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph… Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.” [Weather.com]

New job: Alexandria police latent print examiner — “WE’RE HIRING! Come join our team here at the Alexandria Police Department. We have a job opening for a Latent Print Examiner. Click the link for details about the job and how to apply: https://bit.ly/3lwxXty” [Twitter]

Alexandria’s efforts to build a healthier community has shone a light on inequity in the city.

From food insecurity to chronic illnesses, the Alexandria Health Department’s Community Health Assessment indicates that minority groups in the city are far more likely to be impacted by health issues than white residents.

“Chronic conditions disproportionately affect persons of color, especially black or African Americans,” the report said. “Studies support a link between experiences of racism and risk of chronic illness.”

The report notes that hypertension hospitalization rates are 12 times higher among black and African American residents than white residents. Similarly, Hispanic residents are four times more likely to be hospitalized due to long term complications from diabetes than white residents.

“Black or African American and white residents have similar rates of cancer diagnosis,” the report found, “but Black or African Americans are more likely to die from cancer compared with whites.”

The assessment also examines economic stability — measured by local poverty rates, income inequality and unemployment — as a piece of maintaining “optimal health.”

“For example, health insurance is crucial for access to many healthcare services, but health coverage can be expensive, especially for those without coverage through an employer,” the report said. “The constant stress of living in unstable conditions, struggling to pay bills, and long work hours can exacerbate existing mental illness and also affect child brain development.”

According to the report:

• 30% of Hispanic children in Alexandria and 30% of black or African American children live below the federal poverty line, while only 3% of white children do.
• The median household income in Alexandria is $93,400, but the median household income for black or African American residents is $55,200, compared to $118,000 for white residents.
• Over half (58%) of Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) students are eligible for free and reduced meals.
• One in 10 residents live in poverty, including one in five children.
• More than one-third (35%) of Alexandrians reported worrying about paying rent or mortgage in the last year while the average wait for housing support for eligible families is four years and nine months.

Other findings from the study include an increase in vaping among students in Alexandria.

“Cigarette smoking among Alexandria middle and high school students is on the decline, but the use of e-cigarettes has increased by more than 50%,” the study noted.

Another finding: “Twenty-one percent of Alexandria adults report excessive drinking, and four in ten local driving deaths are related to alcohol use.”

A community meeting on Saturday (Oct. 5) sought public input on identifying priorities from the plan, with the eventual goal of drafting a Community Health Improvement Plan. Those interested in getting involved should email [email protected]v.

Here for the Alexandria Health Community Development Plan. Members of the community are choosing what we should be focusing on. We are here 9-12. This follows year long health assessment process. pic.twitter.com/SeJoY1t8TW

— Mo Seifeldein (@MoSeifeldein) October 5, 2019