Poverty in the Suburbs – Washington, DC

Amid Montgomery’s affluence, plight of suburban poor worsens in downturn, By Annie Gowen, November 12, 2010, Washington Post: “Their numbers are growing, but the suburban poor can be tough to spot amid the affluence that sometimes surrounds them. In few places is that more true than Tobytown, a tiny enclave in Potomac still occupied by the descendants of former slaves who founded it in 1875. The neighborhood off River Road, hidden from view on a woodsy stretch of Pennyfield Lock Road near the C&O Canal, is almost jarringly out of place. It nestles in the midst of great opulence – homes guarded by stone lions with lawns big enough for their own soccer fields. Tobytown’s 60 or so residents have struggled to break free of poverty for generations, and their circumstances have worsened in the recession. People have lost jobs and face more difficulty finding transportation in and out of the neighborhood, which is so remote it has no bus service. At the same, Montgomery County has cut funds for a taxi voucher program and an after-school program for kids…”