United Way’s newest ALICE report shines a light on more than 1 million Hoosier households struggling to afford the basics
By Michael Budd, president and CEO of Indiana United Ways, and Denise Luster, chief strategic intelligence and information officer for United Way of Central Indiana
The data is striking.
Over one in four workers in Indiana’s most common jobs struggled to get by in 2023.
Yet many of these workers earned too much to qualify for government assistance. Among them: child care workers, nursing assistants, cashiers, food service workers – the very people who keep our economy running.
In all, more than 1 million Hoosier households could not afford a basic household budget that year. And some 31% of Indiana families with children struggled to make ends meet.
In May, Indiana United Ways and United Way of Central Indiana published the newest ALICE report, in collaboration with research partner United for ALICE. Released annually, the report shows the depth and nuance of need in our communities. It shines a light on households that are in poverty or considered ALICE, an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
For more than half a century, the government has used the Federal Poverty Level to determine who among us qualifies for public assistance. But the ALICE report shows that this measure misses many more who are struggling.
ALICE households earn above the Federal Poverty Level – too much to receive aid – and yet not enough to afford the basics of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and technology.
This report seeks to give them a voice. Read through its pages, and you’ll see there is not a population untouched by financial hardship. These challenges affect every community in every corner of our state – urban, suburban and rural.
The ALICE report – this data – is us. So how do we use it to take care of each other?
Here are a few places we can start:
- Educate.
The ALICE report is a powerful resource for understanding community need. We can use it to educate the public and policymakers about those needs – and how human services nonprofits are working to address them. Once others understand the breadth and depth of the challenges, then they can become an active part of solving them.
The report can play an important role in humanizing the data and dismantling stereotypes. It shows that financial hardship doesn’t show up in the way some may assume: Just because a person has a job doesn’t mean they are OK.
This interactive tool includes detailed reports for all 92 counties in the state and calculates the true cost of living for each, allowing you to see a more detailed picture of need in your community.
The report highlights the economic impact of meeting all Hoosiers’ basic needs, a useful framework when speaking to stakeholders. Meeting everyone’s basic needs changes the trajectory of struggling Hoosiers – and also boosts economic activity through increased tax revenue and consumer spending.
Employers can use this data to understand their own workforce and consider policies that support their employees, such as helping with child care costs, offering flexible schedules to accommodate for transportation challenges, and providing small loan options like the Community Loan Center model. They may also consider partnering in the Good Wages Initiative, which supports living wages and access to benefits for workers.
- Build and adjust programs.
It is critical that we use data to inform our decisions. The ALICE data shows us the challenges Hoosiers are really facing. We should use this information to help us create – and modify – programming tailored to those needs. - Partner together.
One organization alone cannot solve our communities’ complex challenges.
It requires all of us – nonprofits, government, businesses, philanthropy – to take part.
Partnerships can start small. Perhaps your nonprofit addresses food insecurity. How can you connect to other agencies that address additional basic needs – such as transportation, housing, child care, health care – to ensure your clients’ needs are met holistically? We need to work together.
Above all else, what we hope you take away from the ALICE report is this: Data is a representation of real people. This report is about what is happening to real families every day in our communities.
We all deserve dignity. Let’s ensure all Hoosiers have access to the basics, to good-paying jobs, to opportunities.
Michael Budd is the president and CEO of Indiana United Ways.
Denise Luster is the chief strategic intelligence and information officer for United Way of Central Indiana.
