Many Wisconsin Residents Struggling to Meet Basic Needs

Thursday, May 4th, 2023 -- 2:00 PM

(By Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) More than one-third of Wisconsin households struggled to meet basic needs in 2021, even with additional federal pandemic assistance.

Now, according to Joe Schulz with Wisconsin Public Radio, many of those programs, like extra FoodShare benefits and the expanded Child Tax Credit, have expired. And calls to the 211 Wisconsin line inquiring about assistance with hunger, housing, substance use, transportation and education increased from 2021 to 2022.

A new report from the United Way of Wisconsin found that the share of households in the state that couldn’t afford housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and other necessities increased from 32 percent in 2019 to 34 percent in 2021. Since then, three service organizations in northeast Wisconsin have seen increased demand for food and housing assistance.

"The pandemic support helped those households get by during that really difficult period, but it also wasn't enough to actually change the way our systems work," said Charlene Mouille, president of the United Way of Wisconsin. "Now, with those supports sunsetted ... we are concerned about how households will manage."

Mouille said the federal poverty level often undercounts the amount of people struggling to afford basic needs. Each year, the United Way estimates the cost of necessities and calculates how many households struggle to afford them.

Those earning more than the federal poverty level but not enough to afford necessities are described as being Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, or ALICE. Total households below the ALICE Threshold include those individuals and households below the federal poverty level.

Sarah Inman, principal strategist for community investment for the Brown County United Way, said living below the ALICE Threshold causes families to feel like they’re in "survival mode." She said those individuals often work multiple jobs to make ends meet.

That struggle often forces families to make tough choices between having food on the table or gas in the car, or whether to have health care or to have a roof over their head, Inman said.

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