The Alice Project
ACROSS MICHIGAN, 43 PERCENT OF HOUSEHOLDS STRUGGLE TO AFFORD THE BASIC NECESSITIES OF HOUSING, CHILD CARE, FOOD, TECHNOLOGY, HEALTH CARE AND TRANSPORTATION.
That’s why United Ways across Michigan, with help from the Consumers Energy Foundation, have come together to bring you the ALICE Project. Standing for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – ALICE represents those in our communities who are working yet still struggling to make ends meet.
The ALICE Report is the most comprehensive depiction of need in Michigan to date. In the five years since the Michigan Association of United Ways has released its first ALICE Report, Michigan residents have started to get a clearer picture of their neighbors, loved ones, friends, and acquaintances than ever before.
The 2019 release of our third ALICE Report continues to inform the conversation about the real and present needs of our residents. The newest report shows the increased cost of living, combined with low wages, reduced work hours, and depleted savings has led to an uneven economic recovery in Michigan. That’s why Michigan United Ways remain committed to serving ALICE, and all those in need, through programs that strive to improve the health, education, and financial stability of all Michigan residents.
What does it look like to be ALICE?
Click below to go be guided through a virtual simulation.
The Bottom Line
ALICE households are forced to make difficult choices such as skipping preventative health care, accredited child care, healthy food or car insurance. These “savings” threaten their health, safety, and future – and they reduce Michigan’s economic productivity and raise insurance premiums and taxes for everyone. The costs are high for both ALICE families and the wider community.
United Way’s in Michigan have come together to release the ALICE Report because recognizing the magnitude of the number of households facing financial hardship, as well as the different types of households and problems they confront, will make more effective change possible.
