ALICE is Sasha and Davis.
Davis earns $40,000 a year as a long-haul truck driver. Sasha stays home alone with their two children, ages 1 and 3, while Davis is on the road. Sasha had to quit her job at the coffee shop because child care costs were more than she earned. They manage to pay their bills—as long as their 10-year-old car doesn’t need work, or one of the kids doesn’t get sick. When their rent went up $20 a month, they had to cut their already small food budget to avoid being evicted.*
ALICE is Nguyen.
Nguyen’s parents immigrated from Vietnam when she was a baby. They worked hard in low-paying jobs to provide for Nguyen. Nguyen has worked at a clothing store since she was 16, making minimum wage while trying to save money for nursing school. Now she’s 20 and not making progress on that goal. Her parents have health issues, so Nguyen is helping them financially while trying to keep up with her own bills. Meanwhile, tuition continues to rise, putting nursing school out of reach.*
ALICE is Hank.
Hank got a good-paying job on an assembly line right out of high school. After 10 years, the factory closed suddenly, and Hank was out of work. With a small severance, he went to community college to learn a new skill. Tuition, living expenses and the cost of his diabetes medicine quickly chewed up his savings. Hank had to get a minimum-wage job at an auto parts store, which cut into his time to attend classes. He misses work sometimes, hurting his income, because he can’t get his medicine regularly.*
* These are fictional examples based on real difficulties faced by local ALICE families. Do you have a personal tale to tell? We'd love to hear it.
Please email tmills@uwbckr.org to share your experience.