The Obot family is one of the roughly 570,000 income constrained families in Connecticut that are struggling financially, despite being employed.
Bridgeport resident Nse Obot works several jobs, including running his own health and wellness business Ammecs Co. and working with parents through the United Way program, Bridgeport Prospers.
Despite his different income streams, Obot, his wife and three children are barely getting by.
“This is when we become more conservative about whether we pay the internet bill or the website host to continue drumming up business,” Obot said. “How much do we split the $50 between gas and groceries? Do we just accept the late fee or even take a temporary service disconnection?”
ALICE stands for Asset Limited Income Constrained and Employed, and represents the large swath of the community that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level. This means they often earn too much to qualify for some social services, yet too little to live comfortably.
According to the most recent ALICE report by United Way of Connecticut, a family with two children needs to earn about $116,000 annually, or $58 per hour, to make ends meet. The report uses data from 2024, as it's the most recent available.
Despite there being more than half a million Connecticut families financially unstable, the report shows an 11,000 decrease over the 2023 data.
However, the dip in families isn’t representative of what Connecticut looks like today, according to United Way of Connecticut President and Chief Executive Officer Lisa Tepper-Bates.
“I'm afraid, though, that as we stand here in 2026, those minor decreases have totally been reversed,” Tepper-Bates said. “If we could do an immediate count right now of ALICE families in this state, there are many more now than there were in 2024.”
The dip was caused by a decrease in gas prices and employer sponsored healthcare plans in 2024. Both factors have since increased, Tepper-Bates said.
Policy changes recommended by United Way include investing more money into the state’s 211 emergency social services hotline and establishing a state child tax credit.
Connecticut is the only state in the Northeast without one, according to State Rep. Kate Farrar, a Democrat, who represents West Hartford and Newington.
A temporary state child tax credit was implemented during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and expired in 2021.
It provided qualifying low- and middle-income families a rebate of up to a maximum of $750, or $250 annually per child up to three children.
Lawmakers have tried several times in recent years to bring the credit back on a permanent basis, but it has yet to pass.
“Because we're in an election right now, it's really a moment for all of us to hear from constituents, as legislators, as the gubernatorial candidates,” Farrar said. “I hope that, as they hear about how tough it is in our state to make ends meet, that this proposal really rises to the top for them.”
State Rep. Kevin Brown, a Democrat from Vernon, said more lawmakers need to realize how close every person is to becoming economically unstable.
In Vernon, about 45% of families fall under the ALICE threshold.
“We are so much closer to being in those food pantry lines than we are to, you know, being billionaires,” Brown said. “So consider that as we go into the next session.”
