MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The United Way of Marquette County held a discussion meeting Tuesday at the Marquette-Alger Regional Education Service Agency.
The forum was open to Marquette County non-profits, with the topic being the recently-released “ALICE” report on the working poor.
The ALICE report is a comprehensive report that examines the financial hardship of households in the United States, specifically, those who are not considered poor by the federal poverty guidelines, but are still struggling to afford basic necessities. ALICE stands for asset limited, income constrained and employed. This year’s report indicates that 41 percent of Michigan residents are living below the ALICE threshold, with 17 percent living below the federal poverty line.
Tuesday’s meeting was attended by people from all parts of the population. “Housing, business development, economics, innovation, education, yeah, we had a very good cross section of the community,” said Jon Swenson, director of community services for Marquette.
For Julia Beard from the Lake Superior Village, Youth and Family Services, it’s more about educating people rather than providing free services. “They don’t know how to get out of it, and they don’t even know the questions to ask,” she said. “It would be easier for us to educate and show them guidance in a way, to help them out, instead of try to just provide services. Providing services is kind of like a Band-Aid.”
Beard also pointed out that although many people feel alone, the data shows they are not. “You may feel individualized. You may feel like a lone little island, but in reality, there’s a lot of people out there that are doing and experiencing the exact same stuff,” she said.
To view Michigan’s ALICE report, please visit the United Way of Marquette County’s website https://uwmqt.org/