The face of the person receiving help through one of the 45 programs funded through the
United Way of the CSRA’s annual campaign might come as a surprise to some.
Many people who benefit from United Way-funded programs fall into a category called ALICE.
“ALICE is an acronym for asset limited, income constrained, employed,” said Brittany Burnett, president and CEO of the United Way of the CSRA which kicks off its campaign with an Aug. 23 breakfast. “These are hard-working families who make more than the federal poverty level but make less than what they need to meet the basics of food, housing, childcare, health care, transportation, technology and taxes. A lot of families just aren’t making enough.”
On Friday, the United Way will roll out the concept to the community; people who fall in the ALICE designation make up more than 51 percent of the population in the 11 area Georgia counties and two South Carolina communities the local United Way chapter serves.
Even Columbia County has an ALICE population, Burnett said.
Only 7% of the Columbia County population lives under the federal poverty limit, but 30% of Columbia County residents are ALICE, and that’s up 7% over last year, she said. Richmond County has 17% poverty level with 40% ALICE.
It’s a situation Burnett can relate to because she grew up in an ALICE family – hardworking but not making enough to have a rainy-day fund. When something like a car repair is needed or a child gets
sick and the parent misses three days of work and the pay that goes with it, then what? The United Way has formulated some new programs to fill some of these gaps it sees in services.
“We don’t want to duplicate services,” she said. “We raise money and give it out, but we’ve also been looking at where the biggest gaps are. That’s why we jumped into transportation, that’s why we got into the school supply space, the Empty Stocking space, the VITA (volunteer tax preparation) space. It makes sense for us to be there because it’s not in another space,” she said.
The Stuff the Bus program is the annual school supply drive. This year more than five school buses full of items were donated and given to schools in Richmond, Columbia and Burke counties because not only are they needed in August but in December and March.
The United Way also operates an emergency ride program called Ride United where people can get a free ride to a job interview or a doctor’s appointment. It’s not permanent transportation but it fills in gaps. Last year more than 9,000 rides were given.
The 211-help line connects people with needed resources.
The United Way started a new program last week called Mission United to assist veterans in
accessing the resources available to them.
“There are resources out there, but it’s really complicated to navigate it,” she said.
Through Mission United, someone will walk the veteran through the process.
To learn more about the United Way of the CSRA, visit uwcsra.org.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
