INCOME

One out of every three families in central Iowa can barely cover basic daily expenses. And low wages force many families to go without—or to go into debt. In today's economy, families need enough income to cover rising costs of food, housing, health care, transportation, childcare and clothing—or face painful financial choices.

One of the clearest paths to economic self-sufficiency is education and training. Job training and readiness programs remain critical to advancing low-wage, low-skilled workers into self-sustaining jobs (UW Metrics report, p. 24). United Way and its community partners work to strengthen central Iowans' education and skills to prepare them for the better-paying jobs in the local economy.

Since 2015, nearly 25,000 more central Iowans are financially self-sufficient.

The percentage of central Iowans who were financially self-sufficient increased to 67% in 2017, up 1.1% from the previous year and up 1.8% since 2015, according to the latest U.S. Census data released this December.

“Our efforts as a community are working,” said Elisabeth Buck, president of United Way of Central Iowa. “After a six-year downturn, the number of families who are thriving in Polk, Warren, and Dallas Counties is increasing, and that especially means more children are having their basic needs met and are having greater opportunities for healthy development.”

REMOVING BARRIERS

volunteers provided free tax preparation to 4,703 central Iowans through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in 2018. This program helps low-income central Iowans receive the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, which can help lift people out of poverty.

In 2018, the Iowa Legislature repealed a law that revoked the driver’s licenses of people with non-driving drug offenses. United Way’s OpportUNITY initiative successfully advocated to remove this barrier for citizens returning from prison so they can find employment and housing.

Who is ALICE?

With the cost of living higher than what most wages pay, ALICE families – an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – work hard and earn above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), but not enough to afford a basic household budget of housing, child care, food, transportation, and health care. ALICE households live in every county in Iowa – urban, suburban, and rural – and they include women and men, young and old, of all races and ethnicities.

The study and report reveal key statistics around Iowans in need, including detailed analysis by county. Click the image of the report to access the Executive Summary or the full report.