A significant portion of Maryland’s workforce, encompassing cashiers, cooks, health aides, child care providers, office staff and more, live just one emergency away from financial crisis even though most of them are working full-time, according to the United Way’s report on ALICE – Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – workers. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
What would you do if, despite working full-time, you didn’t earn enough to cover the basics?
What would you do if, after buying groceries and covering the rent, you had to decide which expenses to delay? Your choices: an essential car repair, a vital doctor appointment, or safe, nurturing child care. Do you fix the car so you can get to work on time? Do you finally see the doctor, preventing your health issue from spiraling into a medical crisis? Or do you ensure your child is left in safe and dependable hands?
These are just some of the questions faced by ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families every day, and the questions that every voter should be considering as they cast their ballot in this year’s presidential election.
According to the Maryland United Way ALICE Report, these impossible choices are faced daily by 52.5 million households across the United States, including nearly 930,000 households in the State of Maryland.
ALICE households work hard, but cannot afford basic necessities, like housing, food, child care, digital access and transportation. A significant portion of our state’s workforce, encompassing cashiers, cooks, health aides, child care providers, office staff and more, live just one emergency away from financial crisis, even though most of these workers have full-time employment.
What’s more, in many cases families find themselves living as ALICE due to workforce and economic forces outside their control like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Key Bridge collapse or other natural disasters. Even households with well-paying jobs can experience financial hardship due to rising costs of living, or after an unexpected, major expense.
Hundreds of thousands of workers in Maryland currently live below the ALICE threshold, including 36% of retail salespersons, 49% of cashiers and 12% of the state’s registered nurses. These individuals contribute essential services to our communities but often face financial instability because their income has not kept pace with the high cost of living in the state.
Despite Maryland’s low unemployment and seemingly positive economic indicators, there is a deep crisis when 39% of households cannot make ends meet.
Those living as ALICE experience a wide variety of stressors, ranging from being unable to find suitable child care to not having access to essential, reliable transportation. In Maryland’s rural areas, access to transportation and dependable digital infrastructure is critical to those seeking new career opportunities, access to medical care, and opportunities to seek more suitable housing.
Parents who can’t find high-quality and affordable child care may end up paying more than their family budget allows, leaving them vulnerable to emergency expenses, or may seek less costly care, which may not prepare the child for a school setting and could incur health and safety risks.
Families living as ALICE represent a significant portion of our community. They are our neighbors, our co-workers, and our friends. They live in our communities, and they play a vital role in our society, yet often face systemic barriers that prevent them from thriving.
As we approach the 2024 election, it is crucial for candidates and policymakers to discuss the needs of ALICE households – and for eligible voters to consider the needs of ALICE families as they cast their ballot. Our Maryland State Association of United Ways stands united in our vision for healthy, thriving communities and will work around the clock to tackle challenges in housing, child care, transportation, food, digital access and more that impact hundreds of thousands of households.
Policy change is a powerful way to break down longstanding barriers and enact real change – and in our democracy that change always begins at the ballot box.