ALICE in New Mexico: A Community Conversation
Who is ALICE?
For a growing number of U.S. households, financial stability is nothing more than a pipe dream, no matter how hard their members work. These households are ALICE – Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – earning above the Federal Poverty Level yet struggling to afford basic expenses.
ALICE households:
- Span all races, ages, ethnicities, and abilities, though households of color are disproportionately ALICE
- Include workers whose wages cannot keep up with the rising cost of goods and services
- Often include those who are working two or more jobs and still cannot pay their bills
- Include family members who need care and assistance, which makes it harder for their caregivers to find adequate work
- Live paycheck to paycheck and are forced to make impossible choices: pay the rent or buy food, receive medical care or pay for child care, pay utility bills or put gas in the car
- Are part of every community nationwide
Benefiting New Mexico
This report highlights how choices in one area invariably affect choices in other areas. The problems are complicated and interwoven. With this clear documentation of the issues and how they are interconnected, community stakeholders can start to build solutions for their neighborhoods, towns and cities, counties, and states. For solutions to be effective, they must be comprehensive and interconnected to address as many areas of struggle as possible.
In a collaborative effort, United Ways in more than half of U.S. states (and more on the way) are changing the way we think about financial need in individual states and across the country.
Through a series of new, standardized measurements, United For ALICE presents a broad picture of financial insecurity in the U.S., drilling down to the county and municipal levels in each state. What the ALICE data shows is startling: Both nationally and in each state, financial hardship is far more prevalent than traditional federal poverty guidelines suggest. United For ALICE is a grassroots movement stimulating a fresh, nonpartisan national dialogue about how to reverse this trend and improve conditions for this growing population of families living paycheck to paycheck.
Feature Speaker: Kiran Handa Gaudioso
Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Northern New Jersey & president of United for ALICE
Kiran has overseen strategic planning for how the organization fulfills its mission of improving life for ALICE and those in poverty at the local, state, and national levels, including United for ALICE. This national research-based initiative provides an accurate study of households that earn above the poverty level but less than the basic cost of living.
Kiran leads the efforts of ALICE and will be the presenting speaker at ALICE in New Mexico: A Community Conversation.
ALICE in New Mexico: A Community Conversation
Thursday, May 2nd, 10 – 11:30 AM
United Way of North Central New Mexico
2340 Alamo Avenue Southeast
Albuquerque, NM
