What is the first image that comes to mind when you think about poverty?
Is it the man who stands in the median of Liberty and East Broad streets most mornings with a sign asking for help? Or the encampment that used to be under the Truman Parkway overpass where dozens of people who are experiencing homelessness lived before being removed? Or the woman ahead of you in line at Publix using an EBT card to pay for groceries?
The United Way of Georgia wants to broaden your perception by redefining what it truly means to struggle to make ends meet. Based on measurements of household costs and incomes, the United Way of Georgia has determined that 47% of all Georgians are asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed, or ALICE. That means they earn above the outdated measures used to determine the Federal Poverty Level, but earn less than what is necessary to meet the cost of the basics ― what is called a household survival budget that includes shelter, clothing, food, transportation and childcare ― in the county where they live.