27 JUN 2024 · Heather Cole, the Senior Director of Impact Strategies, talks with Ken Lumberg of WSJM in this week's United We Thrive segment about ALICE. Who is ALICE?• ALICE is an acronym that stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained Employed. • People with incomes below the ALICE level are often hidden in plain sight. • 41% of people living in southwest Michigan have incomes below the ALICE threshold. (14% in poverty, 27% ALICE)  Why does UWSM focus on supporting ALICE?• United Way is dedicated to improving the lives of our neighbors, especially those with incomes below the ALICE threshold. • Too many of our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet and making impossible decisions every day. • For households below the ALICE threshold, targeted support programs and resources are essential to provide pathways to financial stability. Addressing the root causes of financial insecurity among these households not only improves their quality of life but also strengthens the overall economic resilience of the community.  How does UWSM support ALICE?• United way invests the dollars that are donated to us in ways that help fulfill immediate needs and also in long-term strategies for helping people achieve financial security.    • By supporting both immediate needs and long-term solutions, we hope we’re helping to ease people’s challenges now, to prevent a speed bump from becoming a long-term crisis, and also create systems that help put people on a path to financial security earlier.  An ALICE story:“My job wasn’t scrubbing floors, wasn’t flipping burgers, or all of the other things we typically think of as unskilled labor paying minimum wage - but it also wasn’t paying me enough to meet basic needs. I cobbled together a schedule that had me working a 9-5 M-F, picking up 3 shifts a week in a restaurant, and eventually taking on contract projects that I could work on in the wee hours of the morning. I was working hard, like I’d been taught, and grateful for the opportunity - but I was always making choices and juggling to keep my, and then my children’s basic needs met. I didn’t qualify for Medicaid, I didn’t qualify for cash assistance, I didn’t qualify for SNAP; I had a good job (well, jobs), and was always in the valley between the programs that could help me and the families making enough to own a home, drive a car that worked, or even send their kids to classes and camps.”

18 JUN 2024 · Anna Murphy and Zack East join Ken from WSJM to talk about their first 'episode' of United We Thrive, in which Anna explains how we'll be returning to the basics to serve our communities in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. To give, advocate, or volunteer for United Way of Southwest Michigan, visit uwsm.org!