BROWN COUNTY (NBC 26) — 1 in 3. That’s the number of households in Brown County that struggle to afford basic needs like child care, housing and food according to a new report released Wednesday by Brown County United Way.
The non-profit calls it an "ALICE" report. "ALICE" stands for asset limited, income constrained, and employed. It's a term used to describe families that live above the federal poverty line but still struggle to keep up with the daily cost of living.
The report found that 25% of Brown County households can be categorized as ALICE, while 11% were living in poverty. That translates to 39,000 households - or 36% of homes - in Brown County that are experiencing financial struggle.
Statewide, 11% of households fell under the federal poverty level, while 23% could be categorized as ALICE.
“Right now about 1 in 3 households in Brown County live below the ALICE threshold, so either they’re ALICE or living below that federal poverty level," said Sarah Inman, the principle strategist for community investment with Brown County United Way.
The report captures data from 2021 when pandemic era benefits like emergency rental assistance, child tax credits and stimulus payments were still in place. With those benefits now gone, Inman says even more households may be struggling.
Take for example Denmark Community Cupboard, a food pantry based in Denmark that has seen continual growth in the need for food assistance over the past two years.
“We are serving twice as many households as we were serving prior to the pandemic, really with no slow down in sight," said coordinator Rev. Andrew Zoerb.
In a village of roughly 2,400 people, the pantry serves just over 125 households. Zoerb says many of the households they serve are lower middle class families who are just trying to make ends meet.
“When you drive through neighborhoods, you look and you see homes that might have been built within the last 30 years, they look new, but a lot of the families that are living there may be families that we’re serving at this time," Zoerb said.
To learn more about the ALICE report, click here.
