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Hartford Courant

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

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

Hartford Courant Working Poor Need A Boost More Than Ever

by Toni Dolan 11/26/2014  The recent release of the United Way’s ALICE report on the plight of the working, low-income population in Connecticut has brought much needed attention to needs of this struggling group. The hardships of the working poor have grown exponentially in the recent economic downturn. Yet the resources available to this population have only diminished. At the Beth-El Center, we serve families and individuals in the Milford/New Haven area who are struggling to make ends meet. Although they have jobs, they are dangerously close to a life of poverty. With 22% of Milford’s population falling into the ALICE category and another 5% living in poverty, many of our friends and neighbors are facing hardship. Continue reading: Courant.com

Hartford Courant State’s Cost of Living Leaves Many Short

by Susan Dunn 11/23/2014  The American dream is that if you work hard, you can expect to get ahead financially. For most of us, that means you can save money, buy a reliable car, purchase a home if you want, afford quality child care, send your children to college, handle unexpected expenses, pay for your family’s health care and take family vacations. But as John Lennon reportedly said, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” That is exactly what happened to my family more than two decades ago. My husband’s business closed, he wanted to go back to school to prepare for a new career, we had three school-age children and a mortgage. I suddenly found that my full-time income qualified… Read More »Hartford Courant State’s Cost of Living Leaves Many Short

Hartford Courant Housing Is Key Leg Up For Connecticut’s Working Poor

by Alicia Woodsby 11/19/2014  At the Partnership for Strong Communities, we like to say we’re not in the housing business, we’re in the opportunity business. We know a safe, affordable home providing access to jobs, education and needed services is a foundation a family can’t do without. That is why we applaud the ALICE report (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) issued Sunday by the 16 United Ways of Connecticut. It underscores the perilous path Connecticut is on: 474,000 households that cannot access the opportunity they need to be fulfilled, productive taxpayers. Continue reading: Courant.com

Hartford Courant Too Many Working Families Can’t Make Ends Meet

11/16/2014  It’s not a secret that there are significant pockets of poverty in Connecticut: 10 percent of the state’s households live below the federal poverty line. There is also, according to a study released Sunday by the 16 United Ways in Connecticut, a large cohort of working people — another 25 percent of households — whose income puts them above the poverty line, but not far enough above it to make ends meet. The study calls this population ALICE, for “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.” Put simply, more than a third of the state’s households are struggling. A major theme of the ALICE study is that the federal poverty line doesn’t remotely reflect the actual cost of living in the state. The study uses a… Read More »Hartford Courant Too Many Working Families Can’t Make Ends Meet

Hartford Courant United Way Report: Financial Challenges Extend Above Poverty Line

by Mara Lee and Stephen Busemeyer, 11/16/2014  About a quarter of Connecticut households are above the federal poverty level but have earnings or retirement income that is barely enough to meet basic necessities, the Connecticut United Ways say in a new report. The income threshold varies by family size. A single mother with three children would need to have a combined $64,689 in wages and child support to get past what the agency characterizes as a “survival budget.” For a single person, the figure is $21,944. Continue reading: Courant.com

Hartford Courant Report: 25 Percent Of Connecticut Households Above Federal Poverty Level But Struggle To Meet Basic Needs

by Mara Lee, 11/16/2014  About a quarter of Connecticut households are above the federal poverty level but have earnings or retirement income that is barely enough to meet basic necessities, the Connecticut United Ways say in a new report. The income threshold varies by family size. A single mother with three children would need to have a combined $64,689 in wages and child support to get past what the agency characterizes as a “survival budget.” For a single person, the figure is $21,944. Continue reading: Courant.com | PDF