A Washington, D.C. mother-of-three was given nearly $11,000 through a taxpayer-funded program for impoverished families. She spent the majority of it on a luxurious five-day vacation to Miami.
According to the New York Post, Canethia Miller, 27, was one of 132 mothers in Washington, D.C. who was accepted into the “Strong Families, Strong Future,” program meant to help those living around the poverty line.
When she qualified, Miller took a lump sum of $10,800 instead of opting for $900 monthly payments. She then spent more than $6,000 on the trip to Florida with her sons and their father.
She told The Washington Post, “I wanted to blow it. I wanted to have fun.”
“[My kids] got to experience something I would never have been able to do if I didn’t have that money,” she added.
Mom given $10,800 in taxpayer-funded program for poor families spent most of it on luxury Miami trip: ‘I wanted to blow it’ https://t.co/yyUdW1clAr pic.twitter.com/05fVrMGHgA
— New York Post (@nypost) February 23, 2024
The Washington Post noted that every outfit her children wore was new (via WaPo):
The five-day, $6,000 trip to Miami was a dramatic upgrade from the Ocean City and Virginia Beach visits that Miller’s family was used to. Joined by the children’s father, a boat tour exposed them to million-dollar homes and luxury yachts. Her kids went to a dinosaur museum and saw animals in Florida’s swamps they had never seen before. Miller still talks about trying Benihana, a Japanese steak and sushi restaurant, for the first time.
Some of the money went toward preparations for the trip: new clothes, shoes, gadgets and toys. “Every outfit they wore was new,” she added.
In what she called a rare moment of self-indulgence, Miller spent $180 ahead of the vacation to get her own hair and nails done, a glow-up from her usual inexpensive short, dyed style.
NYP reported that Miller used the remaining money on a used car and to pay off bills. She was also receiving money from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families fund, which helped cover her rent payments of $120 per month.
Miller reportedly qualified for the program in 2022 after she had her third son. She was struggling to feed her family and make her food stamps last.
“Groceries last us the first three weeks of the month, then it’s trying to figure out the last week of my benefits,” she explained. “It lasts, but it cuts close.”
Miller told The Washington Post that she wanted to “set a good example” for her kids by taking them to Miami.
“A lot of communities in my area don’t know the financial gain of credit, saving for your kids; that’s why we’re broke, that’s why we don’t have nothing to pass down or no house to give down,” Miller said. “I’m trying to get to the level where I’m passing something down that really matters, so I can be set and my kids can be set, and they don’t need to push so hard like I’m doing now.”
Now, she’s coaching flag football part-time and is taking a free course on information technology at an adult charter school. When she graduates, she plans to take a remote job that pays $30 an hour, The Washington Post reported.