MEET ALICE
When working isn’t enough to make it work
ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) represents hardworking members of the community who are employed, yet can’t keep up with the rising cost of living.
ALICE BY THE NUMBERS
488,100
Miami-Dade households are either in or one emergency away from falling into poverty.
$59,044
The median income for a household in Miami-Dade, an amount far less than the $76,284 Household Survival Budget.
13,986
more households in 2021 could not afford the basics, compared to 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
61%
of Black households and 52% of Hispanic households were below the ALICE Threshold in 2021, compared to 38% of White households.
2023 United Way ALICE Report
United For ALICE’s latest Report, ALICE in the Crosscurrents: COVID and Financial Hardship, reveals nearly half a million Miami-Dade households are either in or one emergency away from falling into poverty.
Read through our Miami-Dade County report by flipping the pages below or download PDFs of the reports by region using the links below.
United Way Miami’s Targeted Approach
United Way Miami supports ALICE families through an extensive range of programs addressing immediate needs and providing resources for long-term financial resilience. We invest in nearly 100 community programs and support 14 additional initiatives and direct services, all centered around the proven pillars of success: education, financial stability and health.
We offer immediate solutions like food assistance, housing, daycare, healthcare and financial support to keep our families from falling into poverty. We also empower families for the long haul by giving our youngest residents high-quality early education and helping families become financially stable. We’re all about upskilling residents to land jobs that are in demand and lead to economic mobility. Through our wide array of programs and services, our goal is to uplift families and build a thriving, resilient community.
Last year alone…
United Way Miami provided employment training and placement services to more than 6,300 unemployed and under-employed individuals
Our early education programs trained close to 900 educators and served over 5,900children
Our health programs provided over 22,500 people with access to care, including screenings, to improve their physical, mental and emotional needs
Our financial stability programs provided emergency shelter and food assistance to 63,000 individuals
United Way Miami Pivots to Become an Answer
With our region rapidly transforming, United Way Miami is pivoting to be an answer by introducing programs to combat the inflated economy, lack of skilled workers and widening wage gaps. With a focus on financial stability through employing residents in high-demand fields, United Way Miami is a driving force in stabilizing ALICE families.
United Way Miami’s unprecedented, transformative new program, UpSkill Miami, will ensure Miami-Dade County residents have a chance to expand their skills for jobs in industry-leading fields like healthcare, transportation and construction trades. The goal is to reskill and upskill the Miami-Dade County workforce through strategic partnerships that provide access to training, support and employment opportunities in key industries of high need and growth opportunities.
Learn more about some of United Way Miami’s initiatives and direct services making a significant difference in the lives of ALICE families in our 2023 Miami-Dade County ALICE Report.
WHEN WORKING ISN’T ENOUGH TO MAKE IT WORK
What would you do? Make the tough choices.
Previous Reports
2023 ALICE in Focus Series: VETERANS IN FINANCIAL HARDSHIP
View and download the Florida Report
View and download the National Report
Because U.S. military veterans have served and sacrificed for this country, there is a national sense of responsibility to ensure that their basic needs are met. And overall, veterans have fared better economically than nonveterans. Yet not everyone has been included in that trend: In 2019, more than one-quarter of veterans — 29% — still struggled to make ends meet across Florida.
According to the outdated Federal Poverty Level (FPL), 6% of veterans in Florida lived in poverty in 2019. But United For ALICE data shows that another 23% — nearly four times as many — were also struggling, in households that earned above the FPL but less than what it costs to afford the basics. These households are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
2023 ALICE in Focus Series: FINANCIAL HARDSHIP AMONG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
View the Miami-Dade County Data
View and download the Florida Report
View and download the National Report
Longstanding discriminatory policies and practices that impact access to education, employment, health care, housing and other resources create barriers to financial stability for people with disabilities. This fact hits home for the more than 40 million people in the U.S. who have a cognitive, hearing, vision, or ambulatory disability, or one that makes self-care or independent living difficult.
According to the outdated Federal Poverty Level (FPL), 23.5% of people with disabilities in Miami-Dade County lived in poverty in 2019. Yet United For ALICE data shows that another 44% were also struggling, in households that earned above the FPL but less than what it costs to afford the basics. These households are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
Between families in poverty and those who are ALICE, more than half (nearly 68%) of all people with disabilities in the Miami-Dade County lived in a household with income below the ALICE Threshold, struggling to afford essentials in the communities where they lived.
2023 ALICE in Focus Series: CHILDREN IN FINANCIAL HARDSHIP
View the Miami-Dade County Data
View and download the Florida Report
View and download the National Report
The number of children growing up in financial hardship in the U.S. is drastically higher than is widely reported. The ALICE in Focus: Children’s report reveals that federal poverty data undercounts how many children are growing up amid insecurity. According to the outdated Federal Poverty Level, 19.6% of children in the U.S. lived in poverty in 2019. Yet United For ALICE data shows that another 43% — more than twice as many — were also growing up in hardship, in households that earned above the poverty level but less than what is costs to afford the basics. These households are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
The reality is that between families in poverty and those who are ALICE, nearly 63% of children in Miami-Dade County lived in households that couldn’t afford the basics in 2019.
The 2020 United Way ALICE Report
View and download the ALICE Report.
View and download the FL County Pages
View and download the ALICE in Miami-Dade County
View and download Financial Hardship in Black Households
View and download Race in Florida
It’s easy to be blind to someone’s financial struggle. You grab a cup of coffee at the local café or bakery and don’t know the barista is a college student or single mom holding down two jobs to make ends meet. ALICE families are our neighbors, friends and family members.
The updated United Way ALICE Report is providing a holistic snapshot of financial insecurity at the state, county and municipal level. The population identified in the report as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) are hardworking members of the community who are employed, yet can’t keep up with the rising cost of living.
To learn more, visit:
The COVID-19 Impact Survey Report: The Effect on Miami-Dade
COVID-19 Impact Survey Report
Executive Summary and Highlights
With more than half of Miami-Dade households (54%) or approximately 485,000 families already struggling to get by, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis had devastating results. These households (37%) were below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Threshold, earning above the Federal Poverty Level but struggling to cover basic expenses with little to no savings to cover unexpected expenses or reduced income, plus households living in poverty (17%). In a March 2021 survey, 3,120 of these households (and 1,735 households who earn above the ALICE Threshold) shared what life has been like for them during this time of profound uncertainty.
United Way Miami conducted this survey in partnership with United For ALICE.
To learn more about action for ALICE in Miami-Dade, visit unitedwaymiami.org.
THANK YOU TO OUR SURVEY DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS
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Advocacy Network on Disabilities
Age Friendly Initiative
American Airlines
American Red Cross
AMIkids Miami-Dade
Ana VeigaMilton
Assurant
Belafonte-Tacolcy Center
Catalyst Miami
Children’s Movement of Florida
City of Miami Beach
Coconut Grove Cares
Consortium for a Healthier Miami-Dade
Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce
Cuban American National Council
Doral Chamber of Commerce
Douglas Gardens Community Mental Health Center
Early Learning Coalition of Miami – Dade / Monroe County
Easter Seals of South Florida
Early Head Start / Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership
Epilepsy Foundation
Family Resource Center of South Florida
Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council
Greater Miami & Beaches Hotel Association
Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
Greater Miami Jewish Federation
Institute for Child & Family Health
Jackson Health System
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ewish Community Relations Council
Jewish Community Services of South Florida
Jewish Federation
JPMorgan Chase
Leadership Learning Center at St. John Bosco
League of Women Voters
MCCJ, Inc.
Miami Commission for Women
Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County Department of Health
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Miami-Dade Public Schools PTSAs/PTA Liaisons
Miami Homes for All
Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center
Neighbors & Neighbors Association (NANA)
Pace Center for Girls
South Florida Community Development Coalition
South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The Children’s Trust
The Parent Academy
Trauma Resolution Center
United Teachers of Dade
United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education
United Way MISSION UNITED
West Kendall Baptist
Women in Transition of South Florida
Youth Co-Op Inc.
Youth of Valor Empowerment
Sources:
2021-2022 United Way Miami Community Impact Highlights Report
2023 ALICE Report, ALICE in the Crosscurrents: COVID and Financial Hardship
