United Ways of the Pacific Northwest and its study partner, United For ALICE, found that in 2021, about half of Oregon households were poor.
The primary focus of the research was on people who earn more than the federal poverty threshold but not enough to cover their basic living expenses. This group is known as “ALICE” (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed).
“It’s also essential to point out that a lot of these families never really recovered from the Great Recession,” said Jim Cooper, the president and CEO of United Ways of the Pacific Northwest. “And so this population has been growing since 2009, or so at a significant level across the state.”
According to a new analysis, 78% of female-headed families in the United States will be economically insecure by 2021. Cooper said his desire for the information to be used by state lawmakers to assist low-income families further.
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“We try to talk to the Legislature about having services in places that need them most,” he added. For example, “Child care and housing stand out to me as places where we were in crisis across the West before the pandemic.”
Cooper advocates for state-level tax credits like the earned income tax credit to support low-income employees.
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