United Way ALICE Project Report for New Jersey
In early 2017, United Way of Northern New Jersey released its updated ALICE Project Report for New Jersey. The United Way ALICE Project is a collaborative effort to improve the lives of vulnerable, Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed households. ALICE, a United Way acronym, is a way of defining and understanding our families, neighbors, and colleagues (men and women) who work hard, earn above the federal poverty level, but not enough to afford a basic household budget of housing, child care, food, transportation, and health care.
ALICE educates our children, keeps us healthy, and makes our quality of life possible. But these low-wage jobs, often in the service sector, do not pay enough for ALICE to live on. Based on the success of the research in identifying and communicating the needs of ALICE households, the Project has grown from a pilot in Morris County, New Jersey in 2007, to a national level in 2014. Reports are now available for 15 states. By sharing common language and understanding, stakeholders are better equipped to tackle crucial issues for ALICE and the wider community.