who is Alice?
Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed
ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) is made up of households that work hard in low-wage jobs to keep our communities running but do not get paid enough to make ends meet. These individuals and families have trouble affording everyday expenses, and often, they are forced to choose to pay for one household expense over another.
United Way of Northwest Louisiana, in partnership with the Louisiana Association of United Ways, releases a study every two years on the the financial hardship of ALICE families across our ten-parish service area (Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Bienville, Claiborne, Winn, Red River, Desoto, Natchitoches, and Sabine parishes). The latest release of the ALICE report revealed that in 2018 55 percent of individuals in Northwest Louisiana qualify as ALICE or households living in poverty.
The United Way ALICE Report is the most comprehensive depiction of financial need in the state to date, using data from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Census. The report includes measures based on present-day income levels and expenses that show how many Louisiana workers are struggling financially and why.
ALICE in Louisiana: A Financial Hardship Study
New research shows that in Louisiana, 891,000 households – fully 51 percent statewide and 57% in Northwest Louisiana — struggled to afford basic household necessities in 2018, according to the United Way ALICE Report for Louisiana released August 6, 2020, by the Louisiana Association of United Ways.
ALICE in Focus: People With Disabilities
On the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we launch our new research brief for Louisiana – ALICE in Focus: People With Disabilities. The research reveals that the number of people with disabilities who struggled to afford basics just before the pandemic hit is far higher than federal poverty data indicates — 60% in total, compared to 24% below the federal poverty level of 716,266 people with disabilities statewide. Explore the new brief and online dashboards for more ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) data.
ALICE in Focus: Veterans
Because U.S. military veterans have served and sacrificed for this country, there is a national sense of responsibility to ensure that their basic needs are met. And overall, veterans have fared better economically than nonveterans. Yet not everyone has been included in that trend: In 2019, more than one-third (36%) of all veterans in Louisiana lived in a household with income below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival, the highest rate of all U.S. states. Explore the Brief and online dashboards to learn more about data: UnitedForALICE.org/Focus-Veterans