Elkhart, IN – United Way to Present Expert Panel July 16th at Goshen College || ALICE in the Crossroads: An Update on Financial Hardship in Elkhart, LaGrange, and Noble Counties.
Though wages for the lowest paid jobs have risen across the country at the fastest rate in four decades, a number of households are still struggling to get by regionally. As a result, a total 38.7% were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a new Update from Crossroads United Way and its research partner United For ALICE. That calculation includes the 10.4% of households in poverty as well as another 28.25% defined as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), earning above the Federal Poverty Level but less than what’s needed to survive in the current economy. ALICE workers include child care providers, home health aides and cashiers — those working low-wage jobs, with little or no savings and one emergency from poverty.
ALICE in the Crosscurrents: An Update on Financial Hardship in Elkhart, LaGrange and Noble Counties shows that while wages were increasing, so too were costs. For a family of four with an infant and a preschooler, the basic costs to live and work in Indiana would need to make a minimum of $58,428 annually to make ends meet ($29.21/hour). A single senior adult would need to make $27,948 ($13.97/hour) to survive, and a single adult would need to make $24,636 ($12.32). Compounding the issue in 2022 was the loss of up to $15,000 in federal child tax credits and stimulus payments that this family had access to in 2021.
"We have the power to alter the course for our ALICE families, but we can’t do it alone," said Bill Purcell, President and CEO of Crossroads United Way. "By working together, we can build innovative solutions to bring financial stability to these households. This latest data is a reminder that while we have made some progress, our work is far from over.”
“The data is showing persistent and widespread financial hardship — a red flag that the current system isn't working for ALICE,” said Stephanie Hoopes, Ph.D., United For ALICE National Director. “Current policy has not been enough to break down the barriers that trap ALICE households in financial hardship, from lack of access to housing and child care that’s affordable, to inadequate community supports such as broadband internet."
To read the Update and access online, interactive dashboards that provide data on financial hardship at the state, county and local levels, visit https://www.crossroadsuw.org/alice-focus.