The ALICE Report in Pennsylvania
The ALICE Household Survival Budget is an estimate of the minimal total cost of household essentials. Household essentials include housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology, plus taxes and a miscellaneous contingency fund equal to 10% of the budget.
It does not include savings, auto repairs, cable service, travel, laundry costs, or amenities such as holiday gifts or dinner at a restaurant.
The survival budget illustrates just how far off the Federal Poverty Line has moved from the actual cost of living. The ALICE Household Survival Budget seeks to set a more reasonable minimum for the cost of living. It is still a no-frills budget. For example below, you can see that in York County, the Survival Budget only includes $946 for housing for a family of four.
We want to move households from the Survival Budget to Financial Stability.
United Way of York County is helping bridge the gap for financially struggling families with short-term support and also helping build a path to self-sufficiency for the future. Impactful long-term solutions through the United Way of York County Impact Fund and our Partner Agencies focus on:
- Affordable and accessible high-quality childcare.
- Basic needs support, including housing and food.
- The statewide PA 211 health and human services helpline connects people in need with resources that can help.
What is the ALICE Report?