ALICE and the Benefits Cliff: The Challenges facing Maryland’s Working Families

Have you met ALICE^®? ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. The earnings of Maryland ALICE individuals and families are not enough to support a “survival budget” that is more than twice the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

The latest ALICE Report, released by United Way of Central Maryland and other United Ways throughout the state, reveals that 39% of households can’t afford the state’s high cost of living and don’t earn enough to pay for basic necessities like housing, food, healthcare, childcare, and transportation.  The report provides a framework, language and tools to measure and address the struggles of the growing number of ALICE households in Maryland.

The Impact of the Benefits Cliff: A study on the potential loss of public benefits to Maryland’s working families resulting from small increases in earned income. This study sheds light on the challenges of moving beyond the ALICE threshold when a promotion may lead to loss of a public benefit and cause a potential decrease in the total amount of resources available to a family. Benefits cliffs are a significant dilemma for workforce development strategies that focus on individual skills and employment attainment and point to the critical need for a focus on public systems change and labor market reforms.

Join us to hear about ALICE in Maryland, the findings from these reports, and discuss the implications in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating economic impact on our residents.

Our speakers will be:

1. Franklyn Baker, President and CEO, United Way of Central Maryland
2. Dr. Stephanie Hoopes, Director, United for ALICE
3. Daniel Sturm, Director of Research and Impact Analysis, United Way of Central Maryland
4. Tiffany Turner-Allen, Executive Director, Nonprofit Prince George’s

This program is for Maryland Nonprofits and Maryland Philanthropy Network members only.