Living paycheck to paycheck while hovering at or falling below the poverty line is the reality for more than 40 percent of families in Vanderburgh County, according to a report from United Way’s ALICE Project.

ALICE is a United Way acronym that stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE individuals work lower wage jobs that keep their income level above the poverty line so they cannot qualify for government assistance; however, they are barely able to support their family.  They cannot afford to put money into savings and are just one emergency away from having their lives turned upside down.

There’s a good chance you have a friend, acquaintance or co-worker that might fall into the ALICE category and not even know it. They are hard working individuals who don’t ask for help.

The ALICE Report is published annually by the United Way and features a county-by-county and state-by-state breakdown in percentages of households who fall below the ALICE threshold, a metric that weighs a local household survival budget with the amount of income that household actually brings in. 

Your donation to United Way helps fund local programs and services that provide assistance to struggling ALICE families and individuals as we empower them to improve their upward mobility.

*The 2023 ALICE Report reflects 2021 point-in-time data.