The ALICE Report in Pennsylvania
1.4 million hard-working Pennsylvania households have incomes that exceed the federal poverty level, but are not high enough to pay for their basic needs. When you add in households that live below the federal poverty level, that's nearly 2 million, or 39% of PA households who are struggling to survive.
Meet ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). ALICE lives in every county in Pennsylvania — rural, urban and suburban — and are vital to our economy. And yet, ALICE is walking a financial tightrope, living paycheck to paycheck and often struggling just to afford the bare-bones essentials.
In York County, 32% of households live below the ALICE threshold. With no savings and already unable to afford basic necessities, already fragile ALICE households are now facing the unprecedented economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lost wages or tips, disruptions to child care and school-based support, and increased medical bills can all impact ALICE’s survival budget.
United Way of York County helps bridge the gap for financially struggling families with short-term support and also helps build a path to self-sufficiency for the future. Impactful long-term solutions through the United Way of York County Impact Fund and our Partner Agencies focus on:
- Affordable and accessible high-quality child care
- Basic needs supports, including housing and food
- The statewide PA 211 health and human services helpline to connect people in need with resources that can help
What is the ALICE Report?
United Way values a research-based approach to understanding the needs of the communities it serves. The ALICE Report provides hard data to shed light on what it takes to provide for a household in York County and across Pennsylvania. ALICE in Pennsylvania: A Financial Hardship Study holds the most recent report and was released in January 2021. CLICK HERE to read United Way of York County's press release on the report release.
Here are a few links to begin with:
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Take a look at the ALICE fact sheets for York County, which breaks down the percentage of ALICE living in each municipality
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Get to know the organizations and nonprofits serving ALICE in York County
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Explore the interactive database for all of Pennsylvania
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Step into the shoes of ALICE through the ALICE Experience through United Way of Pennsylvania
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Download the full ALICE Report with statewide data and a full explanation of methodology
Questions about ALICE? Please reach out to Vice President of Community Impact, Shawn Smith.
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