One of the issues that came up through Troy’s latest discussion about homelessness, is that many households are on the brink of homelessness. What exactly does that mean? What does this look like? The United Way has a term they use for these households, they are called ALICE households. It is a term that deserves a closer look, because it describes a financial reality that can be easy to miss in a community where people are working, businesses are hiring, and most households are not counted as living in poverty.
ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These households earn more than the federal poverty level but less than it costs to cover basic needs where they live. United For ALICE measures those needs through a Household Survival Budget that includes housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology, and taxes. It is a budget for getting by, not building savings.
A 2023 Miami County assessment found that 26% of county households were ALICE, in addition to 8% living in poverty. Those figures are a snapshot, not a claim about every household today. But they make the point: the official poverty rate alone does not tell us how many neighbors struggle to make ends meet.
The choices behind the numbers
Think about a household in which both adults work. One car needs repairs, and neither job is close enough to reach without it. Paying the mechanic protects their income, but it may leave too little for rent, groceries, or a medical bill. A household can look financially stable right up until one expense exposes how little room it has to maneuver.
That pressure is not limited to families with young children. Older adults on fixed incomes may face the same trade-offs, particularly when rent, health care, or transportation costs rise. Miami County’s assessment identified a need for lower-cost one-bedroom apartments and described older residents having difficulty finding places where they could use housing vouchers.
There is also a difference between having a service and being able to use it. The assessment found that some older residents wanted transportation that cost less and could be scheduled with more flexibility. A ride that requires advance planning may work well for an appointment made weeks ago. It is less helpful when a work schedule changes or an urgent need comes up.
Where communities can act
No city council can set every wage or control every household expense. Local governments can, however, examine whether their decisions make daily life more or less costly.
Start with housing people can afford. When officials review a development proposal or update zoning rules, they should ask what kinds of homes it will produce, what those homes are likely to cost, and who can realistically live in them. Smaller homes, apartments, and different housing types deserve consideration alongside the familiar single-family subdivision. Calling a project “affordable” does not make it affordable to a worker who lives here.
Child care deserves the same practical scrutiny. If care costs too much or does not match work hours, a parent may have to turn down a shift or leave a job altogether. Employers, child care providers, schools, and local governments should identify where the gaps are before promising a program. Then they can decide whether shared space, employer support, or targeted assistance would address an actual need.
Transportation connects those two issues. A less expensive apartment loses much of its value if the household must spend more to get to work. Communities should look at the routes between neighborhoods, jobs, child care, and medical care. That could mean improving transit scheduling, addressing a missing sidewalk, or making a bicycle connection safer. The right answer depends on the trip residents need to make, not on a plan drawn without them.
Employers have a role, too. Job training should lead to positions with better pay or advancement, rather than simply adding another obligation to an already crowded week. Businesses can look at wages, predictable schedules, and benefits that help employees remain at work. Local officials can bring those conversations together, but they should be honest about what public money can accomplish and how they will measure results.
Finally, assistance should be easy to find and sensible to use. A resident who is above the poverty line may still need help with a utility bill or a prescription. Financial education can be useful, but a budgeting class will not close a persistent gap between income and the cost of basics.
A better local question
The goal is not to announce ten new programs. It is to find out which costs are pushing Miami County households closest to the edge, listen to the people facing them, and make choices that can be evaluated later.
Which pressure do you see most often: housing, child care, transportation, health care, or something else? And what decision could our local communities make that would genuinely help? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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