united way 2017 alice report - tbrpc...• in 2009, the united way of northern new jersey...

Presented by With support from

United Way ALICE Report

Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council

June 14th, 2019


Poverty

• Based on 1955’s Department of Agriculture's economical

food plan which assumed families spend a third of their

income on food.

• Therefore, they just took the average amount spent on food,

multiplied by 3, and got the federal poverty line!

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-

economist/july-2012/understanding-poverty-measures-and-the-call-to-update-them

• Created in the 1960’s. Federal guideline for

an individual who does not have enough

money to support themselves…

https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/july-2012/understanding-poverty-measures-and-the-call-to-update-them


ALICE

All ALICE data available at: https://www.unitedforalice.org/

More specifically: https://www.unitedforalice.org/florida

• In 2009, the United Way of Northern New Jersey

commissioned Dr. Stephanie Hoopes, a researcher

from Rutgers University - Newark, to conduct a pilot

research study focusing on the circumstances of

low-income households in Morris County.

• In 2014, Florida’s first United Way ALICE Report was

released.

• The initial study has grown to include United Ways,

corporations, and foundations in 19 states in a

movement to change the national dialogue about

financial hardship.

https://www.unitedforalice.org/

https://www.unitedforalice.org/florida


Asset Limited

Income Constrained

Employed


• Of Florida’s 7.5 million households

(20.6 million people), 14% earn

below the FPL, and another 32%

are ALICE.

• Florida ALICE level:

•$20,712 for single adult

•$55,164 for family of four

• Federal Poverty Levels:

•$12,060 for single adult

•$24,600 for family of four

14%

32%54%

Percentage of Florida households

Poverty

ALICE

Above ALICE threshold

Who is Alice?

Source: United Way ALICE 2018 update. Research from

ALICE Project out of United Way of Northern New Jersey


• Housing – below average size & cost

including utilities

• Childcare – the cheapest legal home-

based childcare

• Food – careful purchasing &

preparation with no eating out

• Transportation – Gas, insurance &

basic maintenance only

• Healthcare – basic out-of-pocket costs

with no insurance premiums & ACA

penalty

• Miscellaneous – minor cost overruns

& other essentials

• Taxes – Social Security, Medicare,

income taxes & credits

2018 ALICE Report


Household Survival Budget – Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco,

and Pinellas, Florida 2016


2018 Key Takeaways

• Our communities are improving, but there is still much work to be done

• Number of people struggling in poverty has reduced

• BUT the number of people above ALICE have also reduced

• Systemic inequity continues to allow some groups to struggle more

• Single-parent households, households under 25, and Hispanic and

Black households all have fewer people above ALICE than their

counterparts

• Solutions require comprehensive approaches to our families and need

to address a variety of financial stability foci


Families in poverty are going down, but so are families above ALICE.


Here, poverty and ALICE are a little lower, but not by much

. Households by Income – Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and

Pinellas, Florida 2010 - 2016


All areas of Florida need support, but rural Florida has the greatest below

ALICE.


Data can be broken down by various geographic areas (including multiple

counties)


In our area, pockets of communities have higher rates than others.


Notes on the data

• Data can be grouped by any county or mix of counties and can be broken

down by:

• Congressional District

• Place

• PUMA

• Sub-County

• Zip Code

• All data available in excel format and each area listed above has

GEO.id2 and GEO.display_label information

• For the most part, Congressional District and PUMA use ACS 1-year

estimates.

• ZIP code, Sub-County, and Place use ACS 5-year estimates

• Full methodology available at:

• https://www.unitedforalice.org/methodology

https://www.unitedforalice.org/methodology


Single headed families (especially single female-headed households) struggle

significantly more than married groups.

Families with Children – Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and

Pinellas, Florida 2016


Households aged under 25 struggle significantly. Those over 65 are the next hardest

hit.

Households by Age – Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and Pinellas,

Florida 2016


Hispanic and Black households struggle significantly more than their racial

counterparts.

Households by Race / Ethnicity – Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco,

and Pinellas, Florida 2016


~2/5 of all private jobs in the area are small business. Highest wages are in businesses

that employ 50 – 249 employees. Reminder: annual ALICE budget for family of 4 is

$58,776 ($21,684 for single adult)

Employment by Firm Size with Average Annual Wages –

Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and Pinellas, Florida 2016


• While unemployment is falling, underemployment remains high.

• 1.1 million jobs were reported being created from 2010 - 2016

• In Florida, unemployment in 2016 was 4.9 percent, though

underemployment was 10.3 percent.

• Low-wage jobs also “dominate the employment landscape”.

• An increase in the gig economy is leading to increased income, but also

increased financial instability.

• Nationally, 29 percent of workers have a second job.

• 18 percent of full-time public school teachers have a second job.

• Basic cost of living is still on the rise.

Possible Reasons Why


Across all of Florida, 67% of all jobs pay less than $20 an hour, which is not

enough to reach the ALICE threshold.


The 2018 ALICE report suggests the following:

• Reduce the widening skills gap

• Support stable and viable employment

• Increase savings and assets

• Address Systemic Bias

What Can We Do?


• VITA – Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

• Free Tax Prep to low-income clients

• BankOn

• Working with Institutions to provide safe and affordable accounts for clients

• Financial Coaching

• Connecting skilled mentors to those who want guidance

• Suncoast Campaign for Grade Level Reading

• Reading proficiency by third grade - Important Predictor for Highschool graduation & Career

Success

• IDA – Individual Development Accounts

• Matched savings accounts to build assets (education, transportation, etc)

• FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid

• Part of a coalition to help students apply for free aid for college

• Workforce Development

• Connecting and upskilling individuals and employers for sustainable employment

What Are We Doing?

WalkWithALICE.com

united way 2017 alice report - tbrpc...• in 2009, the united way of northern new jersey...

Documents