Working Families Still Struggling Post-Pandemic 

New ALICE Report Showcases Growing Financial Hardships on Pennsylvania’s Working Families 

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania – The COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on essential workers throughout the country. These heroes went to work every day with the goal of mitigating its impact, but as we continue our post-pandemic journey, it’s now more important than ever that we support these working families.

A new report, ALICE in the Crosscurrents: COVID and Financial Hardship in Pennsylvania, released by the United Way of Pennsylvania, through United for ALICE®, points out that 1.4 million Pennsylvania households are ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). This means that they earn more than the federal poverty level, but still cannot afford basic needs like housing, childcare and food.

With the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) as the primary way for policymakers and local stakeholders to gauge the extent of financial hardship in their communities, a huge portion of struggling households go unrecognized.

In 2021, there were 25% of ALICE households in Monroe County. The report finds that while job disruptions and inflation delivered significant financial pain, tax credits and other pandemic supports helped to blunt what could have been a deeper financial crisis, but in many cases it still wasn’t enough. With inflation on the rise, there are warning signs that struggling households may face a more uncertain future and with COVID-19 supports diminishing, it’s imperative to identify long-term solutions to assist working families in Pennsylvania.

United Ways across the commonwealth will continue to use the ALICE data to help educate community leaders about our communities, to highlight disparities and to advocate for policies that begin to reverse inequities and eliminate financial hardship for Pennsylvania’s working families.

To read the full report and access interactive dashboards that provide data on financial hardship in Pennsylvania at the state, county and local level, visit https://unitedforalice.org/state-overview/Pennsylvania.

About Poconon Mountains United Way

Pocono Mountains United Way engages and mobilizes resources to improve lives through accelerated community change. For more information about Pocono Mountains United Way, please visit www.PoconoUnitedway.org. 

About United For ALICE

United For ALICE is a driver of innovation, research, and action to improve life across the country for ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) and for all. Through the development of the ALICE measurements, a comprehensive, unbiased picture of financial hardship has emerged. Harnessing this data and research on the mismatch between low-paying jobs and the cost of survival, ALICE partners convene, advocate, and collaborate on solutions that promote financial stability at local, state and national levels. This grassroots ALICE movement, led by United Way of Northern New Jersey, has spread to 27 states and includes United Ways, corporations, nonprofits and foundations in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin; we are United For ALICE. For more information, visit: UnitedForALICE.org.