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Number of Working Poor Families in Connecticut Rises

Harriet Jones
/
WNPR

The proportion of people in Connecticut who are working, and yet still struggling to make ends meet has risen in the last two years. That's according to a new study from United Way.

They’re called ALICE; that’s the shorthand for people who are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed. The designation comes from United Way of Connecticut, which is attempting to put a face on this group, which the charity says doesn’t receive enough recognition or help from society at large.

United Way’s latest ALICE report, says more than one in four households in the state can be described this way; 27 percent of the state’s population, up from 25 percent in its latest study in 2014. That’s more than 360,000 households, who are above the federal poverty level, but still struggling to get by.

The issue is that the cost of living, basic necessities such as housing, food childcare, healthcare and transportation, is outpacing wages for many jobs.

Report author Stephanie Hoopes says the economy overall is improving, but it’s not helping everyone.

"While we're seeing some good signs in the economy, this group is still struggling," she said. 

As well as providing facts and figures, the report is also an exercise in outreach, according to Rick Porth, CEO of United Way of Connecticut. "We're trying to put a face on ALICE, we're trying to help people walk in ALICE's shoes, so that they can have a better understanding," he said.

People who provide childcare, serve in restaurants, check out in grocery stores, or may be nursing assistants, teaching aides and auto mechanics can be counted as ALICE.

"A health emergency, or a reduction in hours at work, or even car repairs could send an ALICE family into a tailspin," said Porth.

Insecurity, he said, affects many more people than we realize. "The federal poverty limit is not an adequate measure of financial hardship across the country," he said.

The trend may be accelerating, according to the study, because technology is making some jobs obsolete, and the so-called gig economy, or on-demand employment is creating more uncertainty for families. The study pegs survival costs for a family of four in Connecticut at $70,788 a year.

Harriet Jones is Managing Editor for Connecticut Public Radio, overseeing the coverage of daily stories from our busy newsroom.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.