Chamber Community Message: Meet ALICE!

Did you know that there is an ALICE in 2 out of 5 households in Beaver County?

Even though ALICE is a traditional name and is making a comeback with newborn babies, the ALICE mentioned above might not be known by many of us.

ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for Beaver County. Combined, the number of ALICE and poverty-level households equals the total population struggling to afford basic needs. You might say they are the working poor.

We always hear the phrase “Living paycheck to paycheck”. The ALICE study truly identifies those people. They are the 24% that are one major car repair or major illness away from either keep them an ALICE statistic or maybe even worse, force them to fall into the 12% in Beaver County that live below the poverty level. This same group is frustrated because they just cannot seem to save for retirement, higher education or even a down payment on a new house.

The Pennsylvania network of United Ways has come together to raise awareness of the challenges faced by ALICE and to assist in the mobilization of organizations and individuals to support strategies and policies that move ALICE to a level of financial stability.

The Beaver County United Way has been raising funds for almost sixty years to support non-profits groups who work directly with clients who almost entirely are part of the ALICE group. We all know ALICE, they welcome our children at daycare each morning or take care of our elderly parents. They serve us when we stop for a meal or run the checkout at our favorite supermarket. These are the people that work hard every day but just need a little help to get above that survival level to the stable level of life.

The Beaver County ALICE statistics through 2017 have just been released and present many challenges for all of us. Every borough and municipality is broken down and have a range of 15% – 58% of ALICE households. Overall 36% of Beaver County households live at or below the ALICE survival threshold; which for a single person is $20,448/year or $62,940 for a family of four.

 
 

There are 71,005 households in Beaver County. 32,300 are single of cohabiting, 16,418 are families with children and 22,287 are 65 and over. The family group has the highest poverty level and the plus 65 group have the highest ALICE number.

The above data is real and very important to have and should be a guiding light to the leadership of Beaver County to assist in creating programs and providing assets in areas that have the greatest impact.

What can we do as individuals with this information?

The answer to that question is in your heart! However, knowing that ALICE is someone you meet every day and often more than once a day, we may be motivated to smile when we say hello, share our talents and treasures, knowing that a little kindness can make a big difference to so many.

Beaver County has always been a great place to live. Every person who spends time here comments on the friendliness of the people. The renaissance of Beaver County has begun. It will be so important to realize that those who work so hard but still struggle, may need a hand-up to join the journey to better days.

The Beaver County Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Beaver County Partnership, believe that strong communities enable strong and vibrant business development. We are working to grow the population and raise the prosperity of every portion of Beaver County society. Understanding the challenges and opportunities we face, backed by data, is very important.

That is why we are so grateful to the Beaver County United Way and the United Way of PA for providing this important data and for all the work their agencies do throughout the region. Soon, you will be able to access more details of the United Way of PA ALICE study on the Beaver County United Way website; www.UnitedWayBeaver.org

This important community update is brought to you by Beaver Falls Municipal Authority, 1st Consultants, Strassburger, McKenna, Gutnick & Gefsky, Ambridge Regional Chamber of Commerce, Skerlec Contracting, and NovaCare!