Every day, 38% of households in Southern Maine make tough choices such as deciding between quality child care and paying the rent. This includes the 8% of households living below the federal poverty level and another 30% known as ALICE – Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. 

ALICE represents a growing number of households that work as our teachers, child care providers, health care professionals, retail workers, and more. Yet, they live paycheck to paycheck, and have little to no opportunity to save for emergencies or for future investments like education, home ownership, or retirement. 

ALICE households also span all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities. But some groups experience hardship at disproportionate rates stemming from long-standing challenges like ageism, systemic racism, and sexism. 

We all know someone who is ALICE.  They are our children’s teachers, our grandparents’ care workers, and the service industry workers. Some of us are ALICE ourselves.  And it can be stressful to walk this financial tightrope each month. Sometimes it means making difficult choices like whether to pay the rent or pick up that prescription, buy car insurance or keep the lights on, fill the fridge or the gas tank.