ALICE

2021 UPDATE TO ALICE REPORT

The launch of the 2014 Michigan United Way ALICE report (for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), provided us with a greater understanding of the struggles of hardworking families in our communities and the conditions that define their financial hardships.

The 2021 update to the report shows that many Michiganders are still struggling.

This report shows communities across Michigan continue to have concerns regarding the state of financial hardship that exists with 40 percent of Michigan households, and the growing need for programmatic and policy solutions to help our friends and neighbors reach financial stability. The key is prevention - finding ways to keep people from falling off the edge, either into ALICE or from ALICE into poverty.  This report allows us to look upstream and think about populations that are teetering on that edge.

ALICE is working and paying taxes like the rest of us. ALICE represents the men and women of all ages and races who get up each day to go to work, but who aren’t sure if they’ll be able to put dinner on the table each night. They are our child care workers, our mechanics, our home health aides, store clerks, and office assistants – all workers essential to our community’s success.

Our goal and the goal of the United Way ALICE Project, is to place a clearer lens on the ALICE population.  By learning how to give people opportunities to build stability for themselves and their families, we take another step toward that goal.

To download the updated United Way ALICE Report that highlights the economic challenges of how and why so many families continue to struggle financially, click on the icons below.