![ALICE couple paying bills](/sites/foxvalleyunitedway/files/styles/internal_page_header/public/2023-03/idea2.jpg?h=094e46fe&itok=31iNjTF4)
ALICE: Working Hard Yet Struggling to Make Ends Meet
Who is ALICE?
ALICE, the United Way Acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, refers to:
- The growing number of individuals and families who work for low wages, lack benefits and paid time off, and often work two jobs - yet struggle to access basic health care, educational opportunities, and secure financial stability.
- Workers who exist in a gap in the social safety network, which focuses on poverty-level support
- Families living paycheck to paycheck, making difficult choices between paying bills and feeding their families.
- ALICE is one emergency away from slipping into poverty.
Image
![ALICE is Essential](/sites/foxvalleyunitedway/files/styles/large/public/2023-03/ALICE%20is%20Essential%20%288.5%20%C3%97%2011%20in%29%20%283%29.png?itok=w2t4EUoL)
"Employment growth over the last 10 years in Illinois was largely driven by low-wage jobs that could not keep up with the increase in the cost of the basic household budget."
Household Survival Budget
The bare-minimum costs of basic necessities (housing, utilities, childcare, food, transportation, health care, and a basic smartphone plan) by county.
ALICE Threshold
The average income that a household needs to afford the basic necessities defined by the Household Survival Budget. Households Below the ALICE Threshold include both ALICE and poverty-level households.
How Many Households are Struggling?
Hardship's Disproportionate Impact
Other demographic factors impact struggling families.
Kane County
- 41% Single female-headed households
- 38% Black households
- 47% Latino households
- 35% Senior Citizen households
Kendall County
- 41% Single female-headed households
- 29% Black households
- 29% Latino households
- 36% Senior Citizen households