Who, you may ask, is Alice? ALICE is not a specific person but an underserved group of people whose income is higher than the federal poverty level, yet lower than what is needed to afford basic costs of living. These costs of living depend on local factors such as the cost of housing, food, taxes and more.
For far too many families, the cost of living outpaces what they earn, which means every month is a struggle to make ends meet. They are often forced to make impossible choices: Pay the rent or pay for fuel? Pay for food or pay for medicine? Pay for childcare or fix the car? These short-term decisions have long-term consequences not only for ALICE families, but for all of us.
What’s worse, their finances leave them with no savings for emergencies and no ability to invest in their family’s future education, homeownership or retirement. These are all hardworking people, some working more than one job. They are our childcare providers, supermarket cashiers, healthcare workers, waitresses, teachers, office clerks.
In 2021, nearly one in three Milford households qualified as either ALICE or federal poverty level. And that was before the soaring inflation we’ve endured over the last two years. The 2023 Milford United Way ALICE Report takes you through the numbers.
The results are astonishing. In 2023 dollars, a family of four — two adults, one infant and one preschooler — would need an income of up to $130,000 (before taxes) to meet basic living expenses in Milford. For a single person, that income is estimated at $40,700.
Your donation to the Milford United Way allows us to provide our ALICE and poverty-level neighbors with sorely needed services and goods, whether through our partner agencies or through our own programs designed to address unmet needs in our city. Donate today!
Learn more about the United Way ALICE Project here.