Jean Polo stepped out of the Gala Foods supermarket in Bridgeport located in the city’s West End neighborhood, days before Christmas, as shoppers stocked up on groceries.
Polo said not everyone can afford to buy the necessities this season. And has noticed more people recently seeking help.
“That’s the reason why we see the food pantry have more people, because the price of things is going up day by day,” Polo said. “So something we used to buy, like, $5 now is $10.”
Other residents say they’re spending more money this holiday season partly due to price increases. Advocates say those complaints are increasingly common as more families across the state say they’ve experienced economic hardships over the last few years.
Another shopper, Oscar Portillo, agreed items have gotten pricier. Portillo has six children and said he’s spent around $1,200 this year on gifts, which is more than what he spent last year.
“They’re no longer asking for things like toys, they’re asking for shoes, brand names, and I can give those things, because I sometimes get a bonus from my boss,” Portillo said.
Officials with United Way of Connecticut say households in Bridgeport and Stratford face high rates of financial hardship. The United Way is able to make that determination by using its ALICE tool. ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited Income Strained Employed.
Daniel Fitzmaurice, director of advocacy for United Way of Connecticut, said Bridgeport and Stratford’s hardship levels have remained relatively stable over the last few years. Fitzmaurice said the highest growth in hardship levels has been in eastern and northwestern Connecticut.
“These are communities where they're a lot smaller, more rural and suburban, and this is really where the prices are growing so much faster than wages, and that's creating financial hardship,” Fitzmaurice said.
While financial instability among households across the state is increasing, Bridgeport’s poverty rate is higher than the state average, according to 2023 figures from Data Haven.
Fitzmaurice said a family of four in Bridgeport would need to earn $63, or $127,000 in combined wages to get by in the city. According to U.S. Census figures from 2023, the average household income in the area was around $56,000.
Fitzmaurice said struggling families are more often than not, good at budgeting their limited income, but face additional challenges.
“It's not a personal failing,” Fitzmaurice said. “They had a life event occur. Maybe they had to take care of a family member and so they had to work fewer hours.”
But while more families are facing hardships this holiday season, just as many have stepped up to help their neighbors according to Rev. Sara Smith.
Smith is the president and CEO of NOURish Bridgeport, a nonprofit which addresses food insecurity in the city through its food pantry and other resources.
Smith said she’s noticed more residents asking for help, from food, to coats, to even help with gifts. While NOURish Bridgeport doesn’t participate in toy drives, Smith said the organization has tried to help residents as much as possible. Smith previously told Connecticut Public earlier this year, federal reductions to aid programs meant to address food insecurity have strained her organization’s ability to help residents.
But she said Bridgeport residents have and continue to step up and care for one another. Local businesses and residents have continued to donate to the nonprofit.
She said residents have asked for donations to give to their neighbors, or their families.
“I see the community that has the means and the privilege to help,” Smith said. “I see them doing that, and that gives me hope.”
