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ALICE

Hartford Courant Kudos To Aetna For A Living Wage

by Susan Dunn 1/27/2015  Kudos to Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini for doing just that in raising the company’s minimum wage to $16 per hour. Connecticut United Ways’ recently released ALICE Report finds that for a single adult, an hourly wage of $10.97 is required just to meet a “survival” budget. Our state minimum wage almost gets us there in 2017, and Aetna has more than gotten its employees on the road to a living wage. However, for a family of four, the ALICE Report found that an hourly wage of $32.34 is needed to afford the essentials in Connecticut. Aetna’s leadership demonstrates that progress is surely being made, but we still have a long way to go for families in our state. Continue reading: Courant.com

Newtown Bee The Minimal Effect Of The Minimum Wage Hike

1/16/2015  On the other hand, even when the hourly minimum wage reaches its apex in January 2017, it will still leave workers with their heads barely above the poverty line. According to a 121-page report issued by United Way of Connecticut this past November, 51 percent of Connecticut wage earners earn less than $20 per hour, or $40,000 a year, full time. Those working poor are what the United Way report called the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, or ALICE population. What is referred to in the ALICE report as the Household Survival Budget suggests that in Newtown, where 15 percent of households fall below the ALICE threshold, a single adult would need to earn at least $10.32 per hour, full time, to afford the… Read More »Newtown Bee The Minimal Effect Of The Minimum Wage Hike

WPKN-89.5FM Business & Women: w/Fran Pastore

1/6/2015 United Way of Western Connecticut CEO Kim Morgan discusses the Connecticut ALICE Report and hard working families struggling to get by. Stream Online

Newtown Bee Year In Review: Notable Moments Of 2014

by Nancy Crevier 1/3/2015  United Way of Connecticut released, on November 16, a 121-page, statewide report, documenting Connecticut households struggling to afford living expenses that exceed the official federal poverty level of $11,670 for an individual or $23,850 for a family of four. United Way calls this population ALICE, an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. In Newtown, it was revealed, one in five people meet these criteria and live with these daily economic challenges. Continue reading: NewtownBee.com

Hartford Courant The 25 Most Popular Stories on Courant.com in 2014

by Ryan Cane and Russell Blair 12/31/2014  The Courant published thousands of stories this year. Here are the 25 that were read the most on Courant.com: 10. Report: 25 Percent Of Connecticut Households Above Federal Poverty Level But Struggle To Meet Basic Needs A report from the Connecticut United Ways said that about 25% of the state’s households are above the federal poverty level but have earnings or retirement income that is barely enough to meet basic necessities. The piece followed two local women — a millennial working two jobs and a single mom, who after years of struggling to make ends meet landed a quality job. Continue reading: Courant.com

Greenwich-Post Legislators focus on what’s ahead for Greenwich at United Way breakfast

by Ken Borsuk 12/26/2014  The challenges that people in the state are facing was discussed in a question to Mr. Bocchino. Ms. Urban cited the Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE) report from the United Ways of Connecticut, which found that 35% of Connecticut residents fall into that description, meaning they are “working, yet struggling simply to afford basic household necessities.” Ms. Urban said these individuals and families are typically above the poverty line but are “one unanticipated event, like a serious illness, a death in the family, the loss of a job, home or vehicle, away from a major financial crisis.” While noting the lowering unemployment rate and the state’s high minimum wage, which she praised, she said 17% of Greenwich residents fit this… Read More »Greenwich-Post Legislators focus on what’s ahead for Greenwich at United Way breakfast

Middletown Press Middlesex United Way: A year in review, and thank you

by Kevin Wilhelm 12/26/2014  In 2014, Connecticut United Ways also released the ALICE Report on financial hardship in Connecticut. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. The report revealed that 20 percent of Middlesex County families earn above the federal poverty threshold but are still unable to afford the basics. The federal poverty threshold for a family of four is about $24,000, yet this does not even begin to reflect the cost of living in Connecticut. The minimum cost of basic necessities like housing, food, health care, childcare, and transportation will run a family of four $64,689 a year, yet 51 percent of all Connecticut jobs pay less than $20 an hour — or slightly more than $40,000 annually. Continue reading: MiddletownPress.com

Citizen’s News: United Way brings ALICE to forefront

by Elio Gugliotti 12/13/2014  The United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls is looking out for ALICE in a new initiative. ALICE isn’t a specific person, but rather a specific group of people. It’s an acronym for Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed — people who are working and make too much money to qualify for federal assistance programs, but not enough to pay for basic needs. “It’s important to focus on this segment of the population because the resources are limited. … If you fall in that ALICE — where you’re making money but not enough — something’s going to have to give,” United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls Executive Director Lisa Shappy said. Continue reading: MyCitizensNews.com

Connecticut Health I-Team ALICEs: Many Working, But Struggling To Get By

by Susan Campbell 12/9/2014  Have you met Connecticut’s ALICEs? Chances are, you have. ALICE could be the man who counts change for you in the drive-through, or the woman who drives your child’s bus to school. Recently, Connecticut’s United Ways released a report on the state’s ALICEs – or Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed residents. The report included some stark numbers, including this one: Thirty-five percent of Connecticut workers – or 474,445 households – cannot afford basics such as food, transportation, health care and housing. “At the 16 United Ways across the state, we get a good perspective of what’s going on,” said Richard J. Porth, United Way of Connecticut’s president and CEO. “One observation we have been making in recent months and years is… Read More »Connecticut Health I-Team ALICEs: Many Working, But Struggling To Get By

Valley Independent Sentinel People Are Still Struggling To Get By, Especially In Ansonia And Derby

by Eugene Driscoll 12/9/2014  You’re putting off the roof repairs, hoping for a good check come tax return time. The mechanic says your car needs a timing belt, but you’re still paying the credit card bill from the brake jobs over the summer for you and your wife. Christmas is here, but your gift list is being choked to death by the letters from the hospital asking for the co-pay on the trip your little one took to the emergency room a few months back. Your credit cards are maxed. And while your income has flat-lined, your town’s tax bills grow every July like the creeping crud. You’re not alone. In fact, you’re just one of 332,817 households in Connecticut — 25 percent — struggling… Read More »Valley Independent Sentinel People Are Still Struggling To Get By, Especially In Ansonia And Derby