Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Wednesday, November 12, 2014
(UNDATED) - According to a United Way report, more than a third of Indiana households live below the federal poverty level or can’t afford the basic cost of living.
ALICE; Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed; is a measure developed by the United Way to measure basic cost of living or what they call a Household Survival Budget - the "bare bones" of living.
The federal poverty level is about $23,000 a year for a family of four. The average Indiana household survival budget, what United Way calls the ALICE threshold, is about $46,000.
Twenty-three percent of Hoosiers live in that gap, which means they don't qualify for government support, but don't make what's considered a livable wage.
And while Indiana government leaders and lawmakers says there are a number of available high-wage jobs and a need for more training and education to fill them, they don't consider that employers at restaurants, retail stores and service stations need workers too. But according to United Way officials, there is no growth in wages and benefits with those positions.
The ALICE report drills data down to the county and township level, which officials says can help communities understand the cost of living in their area and how many people are living with uncomfortable wages.
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