The United Way ALICE Project provides a framework, language, and tools to measure and understand the struggles of the growing number of households in our communities that do not earn enough to afford basic necessities, a population called ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). This research initiative partners with more than 450 United Way organizations across the country to present data that can stimulate meaningful discussion, attract new partners, and ultimately inform strategies that create positive change.
Based on the overwhelming success of this research in identifying and articulating the needs of this vulnerable population, the United Way ALICE Project has grown from a pilot in Morris County, New Jersey in 2009, to the entire state of New Jersey in 2012, to the national level with 15 states now participating. This new Consequences of Insufficient Household Income report provides a deeper level of understanding of the choices that ALICE and poverty-level families across the country make when they do not have enough income or assistance to afford basic necessities, and the consequences of those choices.
This report is meant to inform a variety of policy solutions that can improve the lives of ALICE families in every state. United Ways along with policymakers, government employees, nonprofits, academics, and community organizations are using the ALICE data to better understand the struggles and needs of their employees, customers, and communities, and to discover innovative approaches that improve life for ALICE and the wider community.
– United Way