RUW focuses on helping ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) individuals and households gain financial self-reliance through positive financial practices and employment. Our goal is to ensure that individuals have the skills needed to hold a steady job in today's workplace and to balance spending and savings with income.
Almost 40% of households in our community are living at or below the ALICE income threshold. Despite working hard, they often don’t have enough to cover the costs of living, and are just one life event (an illness, job loss, divorce, etc.) away from falling in to poverty. Despite this they earn too much to qualify for government or nonprofit assistance.
ALICE households exist across all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, and geographies. Yet, some groups are disproportionately ALICE as a result of systemic barriers to education, homeownership, health care, and financial wealth and savings, among others.
Taking a closer look at the demographics of struggling households in Virginia, we can see that the impact of economic forces played out differently across demographic groups.
We can see here that households of color are much more likely to be ALICE or in poverty, while White households are much more likely to be financially stable.
- Single Parent Households - 72% ALICE
- 18 - 25 years Households - 71% ALICE
- Black Households - 53% ALICE
- Black Females - 55% ALICE
- Latina Females - 60% ALICE
Based on this local ALICE data, Rappahannock United Way is specifically targeting young adults and female women of color with Prosper resources, to ensure they have the resources and opportunities to overcome systemic inequities that often prevent them from reaching their full potential.
If you / your organization has an interest in financial stability in our community you are invited to join. Individuals, nonprofits, neighborhoods, government, schools, businesses, etc. All are welcome! The purpose of the Prosper Coalition is to bring like minded community members together to help individuals and families achieve financial self-reliance through positive financial practices and employment.