Chances are, there is an ALICE in your life. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. They are hard-working, contributing members of our communities, many of whom most of us interact with every day. They include childcare workers, customer service representatives, nursing assistants, and more. These are people who we depend on in order to live our lives the way we do. They are our friends, neighbors, and family members. More than likely, you interact with one or more ALICE every day without knowing it.
What is the ALICE Report?
Last month, United Way of Pennsylvania launched a statewide data project to provide a comprehensive measure of financial hardship across our state. This project created the ALICE Report for Pennsylvania, a standardized methodology used to assess the cost of living in each of the 67 counties in the state, redefining what financial struggle means in each county. The report allows you to see statistics on what it costs to provide household essentials for families in each county. According to the data gathered, 13 percent of the Pennsylvania population are earning below the Federal Poverty Level. On top of that, 24 percent of people living in Pennsylvania earn above the Federal Poverty Level but still struggle to provide their families with basic household necessities. This means over 1.8 million households in our state struggle daily to make ends meet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7N7teWD2r8&feature=youtu.be
What is being done?
The Pennsylvania network of United Ways will be able to use the data from this report to work within our local communities to highlight the issues faced by ALICE households and to generate solutions which will help these community members on their path to financial stability. Additionally, the Department of Human Services for the state of Pennsylvania supports ALICE in several ways, including through childcare resources, employment and training programs, home heating help, SNAP, medical assistance, and CHIP.
For more information and to see the full report, visit the United Way of Pennsyvania website.
For resources, check out our How to Get Services page.