Skip to main content

Local group looking for ways to help hardworking families on financial edge

Individuals from the new ALICE community work group discuss the latest ALICE report and ways in which they might assist those in the community who are working hard, yet still struggling financially. Pictured are (from left) Love INC ministry coordinator Kyle Metzger, United Way of Huntington County executive director Jenna Strick and Love INC executive director Joey Spiegel.
Individuals from the new ALICE community work group discuss the latest ALICE report and ways in which they might assist those in the community who are working hard, yet still struggling financially. Pictured are (from left) Love INC ministry coordinator Kyle Metzger, United Way of Huntington County executive director Jenna Strick and Love INC executive director Joey Spiegel. Photo by Joni Knott.

Originally published June 4, 2015.

In recent months, a new manner for describing middle class living situations has been heard around Huntington County: ALICE.

“The acronym stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed,” says Jenna Strick, executive director of the United Way of Huntington County, “and it represents households that earn more than the United States poverty level, but less than the basic cost of living in Huntington County.”

The ALICE report is assessed statewide by county. Currently, five other states conduct ALICE reports, with New Jersey being cited by Strick as the originating location of the assessment and analysis program.

According to the most recent ALICE report, 21 percent of Huntington County households fall in to the new financial category.  

“ALICE individuals may not meet poverty guidelines, but still need assistance with things like day care or budgeting,” says Strick. “People in this new classification may be put into severe and frightening financial situations due to surprise illnesses, car troubles or employment hour cuts that make it impossible to pay bills, save for the future or reach a place of financial security.”

Strick says that typically, lower income households are offered various forms of financial support, but adds that the impoverished are not always the only ones who need assistance.

“With the way our economy has been, even middle class individuals and people who are working full time are struggling,” she says. “They have income, but they’re making tough decisions about how to spend that income because they don’t have enough to cover all of their bills or necessities.”

Maggie Badders, 2-1-1 community outreach specialist, emphasizes that the financial insecurities ALICE individuals may face are common and that people should not feel insecure about reaching out or asking for help.

2-1-1 is an information and referral service center that operates out of Allen County and covers 19 counties, including Huntington County.

“People call us for information on all sorts of needs, everything from food, health care, housing, clothing, legal aid and a lot of other basic necessities,” says Badders. “We get a lot of first-time callers who have had some sort of medical emergency or vehicle trouble and are suddenly unable to make ends meet.”

Badders says many of the individuals who call are working and, because they are working, they are over the income level for many services.

“They are being referred to food pantries because they don’t qualify for stamps,” she says, “or they are forced to decide between paying rent or buying food for their children.”

The Huntington Empowering Humanities Group has decided to put together a work group to discuss what ALICE looks like in Huntington County and what resources and programs could be made available to these individuals.

“We are working to respond to needs in the community that may not always be seen plainly,” Strick says. “Unfortunately, ALICE individuals and families don’t meet the requirements for a lot of the services in the community because they are employed or their income is too high. ”

So far, the main project that the ALICE work group has taken on is that of community education and explaining the ALICE concept and initiative to the public.

As the ALICE living situation becomes more well known, more programs will be planned, piloted and initiated.

“We have had to be creative in how we approach the ALICE situation, because ALICE families may not know that they are ALICE families or may not want to be recognized as such,” Strick says. “These people are struggling, but they don’t want to ask for help or they don’t know how and where to look for assistance.”
Love INC Ministry Coordinator Kyle Metzger says people may be genuinely surprised to find that they are in the ALICE category, yet simultaneously relieved because they can be assured that they are not bad stewards of their money.

“I think that the ‘E’ is such a big part of the ALICE acronym,” says Metzger. “I want people to remember that the vast majority of folks that we are working with are working, want to be working and are working very hard and for some reason or another are just struggling.”

There is no one comprehensive solution to the issues that ALICE households face, but the work group plans to start surveying a range of ALICE homes to see if individuals are interested in different types of aid or programs.

“We are trying to take a wide look at the little things that are plaguing our families in our community and trying to figure out how to address each small issue as they come,” Metzger says. “We have a community of hardworking and intelligent people who will have different ideas to assist in addressing and understanding ALICE.”

Strick says that, in her opinion, the goal of the ALICE work group may not be to get people out of the ALICE financial category, but rather to assist individuals with their needs as they need the support.  

“We recognize that this is the reality of our community,” she says. “I think that the goal is to better support our friends, families and neighbors because I think the businesses in our community are doing what they can do to support employees but resources are limited. We all understand that.”
“Ultimately, we just want to give people the resources they need to be successful,” says Metzger.

For more information about the ALICE Initiative, call the United Way of Huntington County office at 356-6160 or visit the United Way online at www.huntingtonunitedway.org.

Call 2-1-1 for any immediate personal concerns and local referral services.