ALICE: The Working Families Who Need Us Most

According to UnitedForALICE.org's 2025 report, it’s estimated that a family of four in our region needs a combined income of $99,730 just to meet basic needs like meals, housing, transportation, childcare, and utilities. In comparison, the median household income of Manatee County’s 190,091 households is $79,524, while it’s $77,705 in Sarasota and $50,868 in DeSoto.

If that sounds daunting, it is.

In fact, 42% of households in Manatee, 43% in Sarasota, and 59% in DeSoto qualify as either ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) or poverty-level households. More than 40,000 of these are ALICE households - working parents or individuals who, despite employment, simply don’t earn enough to cover basic monthly expenses.

If you think you don’t come into contact with these folks, think again. They’re the people serving you in a restaurant, helping you in a store, providing childcare, or doing work at your home or in your yard. Many are young adults entering the workforce, or semi- and fully retired individuals whose job income or retirement benefits no longer stretch far enough to meet our region’s rising cost of living.

These are the very people who need our support, especially as we face nonprofit funding cuts, the impact of tariffs, and the impact of wages not rising on par with the cumulative inflation we have seen over the past few years.

Every day, these families face seemingly impossible decisions. Pay the power bill or put dinner on the table? Fill the gas tank or keep the phone on?

For a family of four, childcare is the biggest expense after housing. For many, it is more affordable for a parent to stay home than to send children to childcare (VPK or not). This lowers the workforce participation rate, which has an economic impact around the state of over $5.6 billion a year, according to the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

As you may know, I grew up in a third-world country and carry vivid memories that shape my perspective today. As one example: I was 7, it was dusk, and my mom and I were walking across a railroad track in downtown Buenos Aires, when we saw a young boy about my age. He was dirty with torn shoes and holes in his T-shirt, and was leaning on a rail, crying inconsolably.

My mom asked what was wrong, and he said his father had given him enough money to buy “two potatoes for dinner,” but that he had used it to play a video game instead. He said they had not eaten yet that day. It was 6 p.m.

My mom took us to a shop, bought him a sandwich and talked to him about how everyone can choose their own destiny, and how one bad decision does not define you - or your future. We walked with him to a church nearby. I sometimes think about him and feel grateful to now have a role in philanthropy, where I hope to make a difference for others like him.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive, and every person deserves the chance to make a better life for themselves and their children. At Manatee Community Foundation, we are focused on mobilizing resources to help those in need; and we are grateful to our donor family for making those investments.

We can each find ways to support and create avenues for the success of others. A rising tide lifts all boats. Join the family of MCF donors, who are making a difference every day.

Veronica Thames is CEO of the Manatee Community Foundation, which has given over $66 million to our communities by working with nonprofit partners that improve the quality of life for people and animals in Manatee County.

Published initially in SRQ Daily

Pictured: Habitat For Humanity family proudly receiving keys to their habitat home. Provided photo.