What is an ALICE Family, you may ask? ALICE is an acronym that means Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE represents people of all ages, races and identities who, just like us, wake up each day to go to work. The difference is, every night ALICE families are faced with the uncertainty of whether or not they will be able to put dinner on the table. For far too many of these households, even though they are hard-working individuals, the cost of living outpaces what they earn. This leaves 20 percent of these Delaware County families below the poverty line, and the rest, nearly 46 percent. just a disaster or two away from it.
Let’s face it, disasters happen! Cars and major appliances break down, nature can cause brutal damage to homes or belongings, and global pandemics can come out of nowhere and leave vulnerable families like these without a leg to stand on. Can you imagine having to make the decision to either buy food for your family or take a sick child to the doctor, because you can’t afford to do both in the same week?
United Way sees these struggling families and works to help them get on the road to financial stability. Resources that provide increased access to income supports, job training, and financial education are supported by our donations. Last year, funded partners that received grants from United Way helped more than 25,000 people access the resources necessary to cover their basic needs, but many families still need your help.
If you want to help remove barriers to financial stability for ALICE families, if you want to help transform lives and provide hope, please consider donating to the 2020 United Way Ball State Employee Campaign by visiting https://www.bsu.edu/web/unitedway/how-to-give or texting BSU20United to 91999. More Campaign details can be found at https://www.bsu.edu/web/unitedway. To see Indiana ALICE Reports or learn more about Pathstone financial coaching in Delaware County, please visit https://www.invitedtoliveunited.org/financial-stability.