The United Way of Northern New York measurably improves the lives of all residents of Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties through leadership, training and funding.
LIVE UNITED IN NNY
ALICE families have impossible choices to make. To feed your family takes money from the rent or prescription copays. Live a day in the shoes of ALICE
TAKE THE CHALLENGE
The United Way of Northern New York’s Community Impact program is designed to maximize the positive outcomes for each distinct community located in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties.
Through thought leadership and facilitating collaboration with local communities, training of nonprofits to meet prioritized needs, and laser-focused funding to solve challenges, our Community Impact plan has three pillars:
A United Way acronym which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, represents the growing number of individuals and families who are working, but unable to afford basic necessities. These families are struggling – earning too little to make ends meet, but sometimes too much to qualify for support.
By comparing real incomes with real expenses, the United Way ALICE Project reveals the stark reality that income falls short of basic needs for 42.3% of residents of Northern New York. With low wages and no savings, these Americans have no ability to meet their current needs, or to adequately prepare for the future. These families are particularly vulnerable to financial shocks like job loss, unexpected medical expenses, and natural disasters.
UWNNY’s Community Impact Plan targets solutions to address the shocking mismatch between a family’s income and the real-time cost of living in each county. This work provides a very real glimpse of the devastating impact that daily struggle has on an ALICE household. And when we shine a light on this unrecognized group, we also see that the instability of such a huge proportion of workers is destabilizing our local economies, our communities, and all our lives.
United Way of Northern New York’s mission is to measurably improve the lives of all residents of Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties through leadership, training and funding.
