Meet ALICE: The Neighbors Keeping Our Community Running

In 2021, I was sitting at my dining room table on a Zoom meeting with Council Member Theresa Gadus and Wendy Pestrue, CEO of United Way of Greater Toledo. During that conversation, I heard a term that has come to mean a great deal in my life: ALICE.

When I asked what ALICE meant, I learned it stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. In simple terms, ALICE represents people who work, sometimes multiple jobs, but still don’t earn enough to cover their basic monthly expenses.

At that time, the term hit close to home.

I was recently divorced and the primary caregiver for my two children. We were still navigating the challenges of the pandemic. The kids and I had moved into a smaller, more manageable home, and I was doing everything I could to create a stable and happy life for them. Like many parents, I worried about balancing bills, responsibilities, and giving my children opportunities to enjoy life.

When I joined United Way in January 2024, I made it a priority to learn more about ALICE and advocate for those families. Every chance I had, I shared who ALICE is and why supporting this population matters. The more I learned, the more I realized that ALICE isn’t someone “out there.” ALICE is our neighbors, friends, coworkers, and family members.

This year, that work takes an exciting step forward. United Way is proud to be the first United Way in Ohio and just the 13th state in the country to launch ALICE at Work, a workforce stabilization program designed to help employers better support their employees.

Think about your daily routine. What would happen if the healthcare worker caring for patients couldn’t make it to work because childcare costs were too high? What if the auto repair technician fixing your vehicle didn’t have reliable transportation? What if the truck driver delivering food to grocery stores couldn’t afford a necessary car repair? Our daily lives depend on people we often don’t think about. When ALICE workers struggle, all of us feel the impact.

ALICE powers the economic engine that keeps our communities moving. You see ALICE every day. ALICE may be your child’s teacher, the grocery store clerk who greets you each morning, the delivery driver who brings your packages, or the home health aide caring for a loved one. Many ALICE workers have college degrees and professional skills. Others are building careers while supporting families. Regardless of their job title, their work is essential.

Yet many of these hardworking individuals face impossible choices between paying rent, covering childcare costs, fixing a vehicle, buying groceries, or affording healthcare.

That is why ALICE at Work matters.

The program helps employers better understand the challenges their workforce faces and identify practical solutions that support employees while strengthening business outcomes. Sometimes even small changes can make a significant difference. Increased flexibility, improved benefits, transportation support, or childcare assistance can reduce stress for workers while improving retention, engagement, and productivity.

Consider this: according to the United For ALICE research, the Household Survival Budget for a family of four in Ohio is $88,356 per year. That budget includes housing, childcare or senior care, food, transportation, healthcare, technology, taxes, and other basic necessities. Even then, it is a conservative estimate. It represents what it takes to survive, not thrive.

There are no extras in that budget. No family vacations. No emergency savings. No room for unexpected expenses.

ALICE workers are doing everything right. They are showing up, working hard, and contributing to our economy every day. The question is not whether they are working hard enough. The question is whether we are doing enough to support the people who make our communities work.

Because when ALICE succeeds, all of us succeed.

What You Can Do

If ALICE’s story sounds familiar — or if you want to understand more about the neighbors, friends, and coworkers who make up ALICE — visit our ALICE page to learn more.