UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES OF THOSE WE SUPPORT
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COVID-19 Hit as Record Number of Willamette Valley Families Were Priced Out of Survival
ALICE refers to the population in our communities that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. The ALICE population represents those among us who are working, but due to child care costs, transportation challenges, high cost of living and so much more are living paycheck to paycheck. When COVID-19 hit, just over 517,000 Oregon households were already one emergency away from financial ruin — a 10-year record high — setting the stage for the unprecedented economic impact of the crisis, according to the state’s latest ALICE Report, released today by United Ways of the Pacific Northwest in partnership with United For ALICE. Over the last decade, Oregon’s low-income families systematically lost buying power and financial stability as the high cost of essentials outpaced growth in wages, driving the number of ALICE households to rise 87% by 2018, the report shows. |