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 earn 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 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, ALICE in the Crosscurrents COVID and Financial Hardship, reveals that in 2021 56 percent of individuals in Northwest Louisiana qualify as ALICE and 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 the Crosscurrents COVID and Financial Hardship
In Louisiana, more than 900,000 households–51% of all families–are unable to afford life’s basic necessities in 2021, according to ALICE in the Crosscurrents COVID and Financial Hardship released May 25, 2023, by the Louisiana Association of United Ways in partnership with United Ways throughout the state.
ALICE in the Crosscurrents COVID and Financial Hardship – the first detailed report since the COVID pandemic but the fifth in the series – details how families both above and below the poverty level made difficult choices due to financial headwinds, despite pandemic and disaster benefits.
For a deeper look into the data, please visit unitedforalice.org
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