The United Way of Manitowoc County is reporting that a staggering percentage of people living with disabilities in Wisconsin are struggling financially.
According to Ashley Bender, the Executive Director of the local United Way branch cited a recent study that indicates that 43% of Wisconsinites with disabilities are struggling financially.
According to the study, in 2019 16% of disabled citizens were deemed to be in poverty, while 27% qualify as ALICE, or Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
Bender explained that this essentially means that they earn “more than the Federal Poverty Level but less than what it costs to live and work in the modern economy.”
In 2019 the poverty line was listed as an income of $25,750 a year for a family of four, while the ALICE household survival budget was listed as above $68,000.
More data is available through the ALICE in Focus: People With Disabilities interactive data dashboard, which provides filters for regional and local geographies, age, race, disability status, living arrangements and household work status.
You can learn more at UnitedForALICE.org/Focus-Disabilities.
