ALICE in the News

By Zach Murdock September 8, 2018 A new United Way report delivers a sobering statistic: Half of Danbury households struggle to pay for necessities like housing, child care and groceries. But those 15,400 households across the city are not the initial stereotype that first comes to many people’s minds, local officials warn. These are families who are “employed but constrained,” not homeless or living in squalor. They have jobs, many earning $20 to $40 per hour, but who still struggle to afford the nearly $78,000 in basic needs the report estimates a family of four faces every year. “We’re talking about your home health aid or your grocery store clerk, not somebody out there panhandling on the street,” said Kim Morgan, CEO of the United… Read More »Danbury households stugglings are made of those “employed, but constrained”

By Davis Dunavin September 4, 2018 Nearly a third of Connecticut residents living above the poverty line can’t afford basic necessities. That’s according to a recent report from the United Way of Connecticut. The organization says the state’s basic cost of living is more than twice the national average. The typical family’s budget for necessities like transportation and health care has gone up by more than 20 percent since 2010. Connecticut’s cities fared the worst. More than two-thirds of the population in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven can’t afford necessities. People in small cities, like Danbury, Ansonia and New London, are struggling too. The United Way says the good news is unemployment is falling and wages are going up, especially for those working low-wage service… Read More »More Than 66% Of Residents In Connecticut Cities Can’t Afford Basic Necessities

By Eric Bedner September 5,2018 More than half a million households, representing 40 percent of the state, cannot afford basic necessities, including housing and food, according to a new report from the United Way. Connecticut’s United Way issued its report, which covers 2010, the end of the recession, through 2016 and found that despite working hard, many residents are living paycheck to paycheck and still can’t afford the basics. “For those struggling households in Connecticut, low wages, tight budgets, and limited savings often mean making tough financial choices,” the report states. “Working parents choose between child care and healthy food for their children. Young adults juggling multiple jobs with inconsistent schedules choose between expensive rent and a long commute to work. Aging adults approaching retirement… Read More »40 percent in state can’t pay for basics

By Cassandra Day September 4, 2018 According to the 2018 Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed Report for Connecticut, 40 percent (or 538,529) of Connecticut households — four out of 10 families — have income which falls below what is needed to pay for basic necessities of housing, food, child care, health care, technology and transportation. “Whenever we formally or informally raise the ALICE report in any kind of public setting, whether it’s at a specific workplace or forums on the shoreline, when you start to describe what ALICE is, people in the room or either totally ALICE or have been, or know people that are. It touches, or has touched, almost everyone,” said Kevin Wilhelm, president and CEO of the Middletown-based Middlesex United Way. Ed… Read More »New United Way ALICE report details struggles of working families in Connecticut

September 2, 2018 In Connecticut, almost half of households do not have the savings to cover three months of living expenses, risking a real financial spiral in the event of a typical family emergency (illness, car breakdown, appliance replacement, etc.). In addition, the new ALICE Report reveals the following trends: Differences in financial security by age, race, and ethnicity persist, creating challenges for ALICE families. The growth in the “gig” economy and on-demand employment is shifting more financial risk to workers and ALICE households. ALICE families are more vulnerable to an unexpected emergency, because it is becoming more difficult to save and build assets. The changing composition of households are part of the ALICE story. The wealth-health gap in America leads to health insecurity. And… Read More »Report: Many Connecticut households can’t pay for basic necessities

By Cassandra Day September 4, 2018 According to the 2018 Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed Report for Connecticut, 40 percent (or 538,529) of Connecticut households — four out of 10 families — have income which falls below what is needed to pay for basic necessities of housing, food, child care, health care, technology and transportation. “Whenever we formally or informally raise the ALICE report in any kind of public setting, whether it’s at a specific workplace or forums on the shoreline, when you start to describe what ALICE is, people in the room or either totally ALICE or have been, or know people that are. It touches, or has touched, almost everyone,” said Kevin Wilhelm, president and CEO of the Middletown-based Middlesex United Way. Ed… Read More »New United Way ALICE report details struggles of working families in Connecticut

By Jonathan Kantrowitz September 4, 2018 In Connecticut, 538,529 households — 40 percent — could not afford basic needs such as housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology in 2016. This update of Connecticut United Ways ALICE Report provides the most comprehensive look at the population called ALICE — an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE households have incomes above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) but struggle to afford basic household necessities. The Report describes the cost of basic needs for each city and town in Connecticut, as well as the number of households earning below this amount — the ALICE Threshold — and focuses on how households have fared since the Great Recession ended in 2010. Despite overall improvement in… Read More »In Connecticut, 538,529 households — 40 percent — could not afford basic needs such as housing, child care, food, transportation, health care

By Christine Stuart September 4, 2018 A new report from the United Way found there are 538,529 households or 40 percent of the population that can not afford basic needs, such as housing, food, health care, child care, technology and transportation. Despite working hard, 30 percent of Connecticut households or 404,035 have earnings above the federal poverty line, but under a basic cost-of-living threshold, according to the United Ways ALICE report. ALICE is an acronym that stands for Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed. The number of ALICE households increased from 352,699 in 2010 to 404,035 in 2016, the last year for which data is available. That’s an 11 percent increase in households that are struggling, but don’t necessarily qualify for government assistance such as Medicaid… Read More »Report: 40 Percent of Connecticut Households Can’t Afford Basic Needs

By Phill Hall September 4, 2018 Forty percent of Connecticut households are managing on incomes that are below the level needed to pay for basic necessities, according to a new report issued by United Way of Connecticut. While 55 percent of Connecticut jobs pay $20 per hour or more, almost half of the state’s households lack the savings needed to cover three months of living expenses. United Way reported that at least 10 percent of households in every Connecticut city and town are ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households, where the adults in the family are working but are facing difficulty in meeting a basic household survival budget. United Way, which analyzed 2016 data for its report, also concluded that 30 percent of Connecticut… Read More »Report: 40 percent of CT households struggling to meet basic necessities

By Zach Murdock September 2, 2018 Half of Danbury households struggle to afford the most basic necessities, from housing to food to transportation, according to a United Way report released this weekend. Those nearly 31,000 households fall below the federal poverty line or hover just above it and qualify as United Way asset-limited, income-constrained and employed — or ALICE — households. “Despite overall improvement in employment and gains in median income, the economic recovery in Connecticut has been uneven,” the report begins. “Many ALICE households continue to face challenges from low wages, reduced work hours, depleted savings, and increasing costs.” Across the state, 40 percent of households — almost 540,000 — are below the poverty line or meet the ALICE criteria, the report states. Continue… Read More »Report: Half of Danbury households cannot afford basic necessities