research and reports
ALICE
ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed. Most simply, ALICE households have income above the Federal Poverty Level, but are still living paycheck to paycheck. At UWBEC we include the number of ALICE households alongside the number of households experiencing poverty as a way to more fully understand the amount of need in Erie County.
ALICE in Erie County:
To get an overview of the ALICE trends in Erie County, access our 2023 ALICE snapshot HERE.
ALICE across New York:
In partnership with United Way of New York State, every two years UWBEC releases a report of ALICE trends at the state and county level. The 2023 report finds 26% of Erie County households have incomes which place them at the ALICE level, in addition to 14% of households experiencing poverty. Read the 2023 report ALICE in the Crosscurrents: Covid and Financial Hardship in New York HERE.
New York ALICE Research Center:
For a deeper dive into the ALICE data, including customizable dashboards for NYS and all 62 counties, review the New York ALICE Research Center HERE.
ALICE COVID Survey:
In the fall of 2020 we wanted to learn more about how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting ALICE families. Our research found ALICE households were especially concerned about the impact of the pandemic on their finances and were more likely to have made changes to their lifestyle in order to make ends meet. Read more about our findings in the 2020 ALICE COVID Survey Report HERE.
community report cards
United Way of Buffalo & Erie County issues Community Report Cards to examine some of the most pressing health and human service issues in Erie County. We do this to increase public understanding of important community conditions, foster conversation about potential solutions, and drive collaborative action leading to positive change.
Third-Grade Proficiency:
Children who are below grade-level proficiency by the time they reach third grade are much less likely to graduate from high school than their counterparts. To learn more about third-grade proficiency and see a snapshot in time of third-grade proficiency rates by school district, read our 2016 Profile of Third-Grade Proficiency in Erie County HERE.
Workforce Development:
While the unemployment rate in Erie County is close to pre-pandemic levels, there are still many people looking for work. To learn more about how workforce development is an important way to help those who are looking for work find good paying jobs, read our 2019 Profile of Workforce Development HERE.
Financial Hardship:
Families living in financial hardship struggle to afford basic household necessities. To learn more about how financial hardship is defined and why families experience financial hardship, read our 2016 Profile of Financial Hardship in Erie County HERE.
Healthy Birth Outcomes:
Babies born prematurely are at a higher risk of serious disability or death. To learn more about premature birth and the rates in townships across Erie County, read our 2017 Profile of Premature Birth in Erie County HERE.
Childhood Obesity:
Childhood obesity can compound other health issues during both childhood and adulthood. To learn about some of the causes of childhood obesity and see a snapshot in time of childhood overweight and obesity rates by school district, read our 2015 Profile of Childhood Obesity in Erie County HERE.
other reports
Nonprofit Collaboration:
UWBEC promotes collaboration among nonprofit agencies to improve service delivery and provide access to services to more people in need in our community. Read our 2018 report Nonprofits Rising to the Challenge: Providing Critical Services in a Changing Environment through Collaboration and Innovation HERE.
