United Way of Southeastern Connecticut 
2023 ALICE Report

Every day in our community, people are struggling to make ends meet. Despite working, they often need assistance to meet their most basic needs. They represent people who get up each day to go to work, but aren't sure if they will be able to put food on the table that night.There is a gap in income forcing families to make tough decisions -- to pay an electric bill or fill a prescription, to buy food or fill their gas tank. Though Connecticut is typically viewed as an affluent state often overshadows the reality that far too many of our neighbors are struggling.

 

On November 16th, all United Ways in Connecticut released the statewide ALICE Report. The Report documents how many households struggle to pay for life's basic necessities, including households living below the Federal Poverty Level and households with income above the poverty level but below the state's basic cost-of-living threshold defined in the ALICE Report.

This second group is an often overlooked population we call ALICE -- a United Way acronym that stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed.

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ALICE represents people we know and rely on every day. They are our child care workers, our mechanics, our home health aides, security workers, store clerks, office assistants -- all workers we cannot live without. Despite the critical nature of their work, they are challenged to support their families on what these jobs typically pay.

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The financial hardships that ALICE faces affect the overall economic and social vitality of Southeastern Connecticut. We all have a vested interest in improving conditions. An individual's struggles reach beyond personal trials to impact the wider community. The release of the ALICE Report also presents an opportunity to unite for change.