FINANCIAL STABILITY: Self-Sufficiency
Imagine Lacking the Means to Afford Life's Basic Needs
Did you know?
A full 36.1% of Lake County households face barriers to self-sufficiency. These are Lake County residents who live in poverty or barely above. This percentage includes a stark 25% of households who fall into the ALICE* threshold, and 11.1% who are living in poverty**. ALICE is an acronym that stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living. These are the hardworking men and women who live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to make ends meet. The consequences of insufficient household income are devastating. Adults and children go without needed healthcare and medication. Families are unable to put food on the table. Households go without heat and electricity. Jobs are lost due to an inability to afford transportation and gas. And that's just to name a few of the challenges our friends and neighbors in need face. Read more about ALICE here.
United Way of Lake County - Working to Change the Odds
United Way of Lake County is working to change the odds for the hardworking individuals and families who are unable to get ahead financially and lack the ability to afford life’s basic necessities and the tools needed for a financially sound future. An investment in United Way of Lake County helps provide those struggling with a path toward financial empowerment.
At United Way of Lake County, we work to remove barriers to self-sufficiency, including: transportation, adult education, stable housing, emergency services, banked with savings, basic life skills, food insecurity and safety. Our goal involves giving the hard-working residents of our community the ability to prosper by ensuring every individual and family has access to education, training, services and resources.
When you invest in United Way of Lake County, you empower adults and families in Lake County to move from surviving to thriving - creating a better community for all. Funds raised in Lake County, stay in Lake County, helping our own local friends and neighbors in need.
All United Ways are independently operated and governed. This allows us to best serve the communities we work within. In our case, this is Lake County, Ohio. As such, we are solely dependent upon local gifts. Please consider making one today!
*ALICE Source: ALICE in Ohio 2024 Report - United Way ALICE & Poverty in Lake County in 2022. Based on 2022 Point-in-Time-Data. Information on ALICE and the reports can be accessed here. For information specific to our county, select Lake County from the drop down menu and the data will appear on the lower half of the page.
**Poverty in Lake County percentage based on U.S. Census Bureau 2023 ACS 1-year estimates.