By John Voket September 15, 2018
Having learned that four out of ten families in Connecticut continue to struggle to pay for basic needs, United Ways across the state are working to implement strategies to help nudge these families toward more stable financial security.
According to Annie Scully, a Research Analyst and Community Outreach Coordinator for United Way of Connecticut, the agency’s 2018 ALICE update affirms that 40 percent of state households cannot afford to pay for basic necessities, including housing, food, child care, health care, technology, and transportation. United Way defines ALICE households as Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed.
“Since we released the report, we believe a lot more people are becoming aware and paying attention to ALICE and the struggles families are facing,” she said. “This report really puts a face on the hardship and investigates why 40 percent of state households are struggling.”
While that is a sobering statistic, Ms Scully added that among those four in ten families, 30 percent are still living above the federal poverty line.
“Many believe that benchmark is inadequate for measuring the true financial scope of hardship,” she said.
United Ways in Connecticut and 17 other states are promoting the ALICE initiative to place a spotlight on a large population of residents who are working but have difficulty affording a basic Household Survival Budget.
The latest ALICE Report update uses data from a variety of sources, including the US Census and the American Community Survey, to quantify the number of households in Connecticut’s workforce that are struggling financially.
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