Though wages for the lowest-paid jobs have risen across the country at the fastest rate in four decades, the number of households struggling to get by in Geauga County remained steady from 2021 to 2022. As a result, nearly 10,000 households, or 28 percent, were living paycheck to paycheck, according to the latest from United Way Services of Geauga County and its research partner United For ALICE.
That calculation includes the more than 2,100 Geauga County households in poverty and another 7,700-plus defined as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) earning above the Federal Poverty Level but less than what’s needed to survive in the current economy.
The ALICE report reveals that while wages were increasing, so did costs. For a family of four with an infant and a preschooler, the basic cost to live and work in Geauga County in 2022, excluding tax credits, was $88,632, well above the Federal Poverty Level of $27,750. Compounding the issue was the loss of up to $15,000 in federal child tax credits and stimulus payments that this family had access to in 2021.
In addition, households headed by people aged 65 and over are the fastest-growing age group in Ohio. Geauga County continues to see a growing population of older residents living on a fixed income that may prevent them from maintaining affordable housing. There are almost 12,000 households headed by people aged 65 and over in the county, and almost 40 percent are below the ALICE Threshold.
So, while a larger paycheck helped, inflation and the loss of pandemic aid combined to keep the ALICE population trapped. This continues a decade-long trend, as from 2010 to 2022 the number of ALICE households in Geauga County grew by 5 percent.
Leading-edge local solutions
This consistent trend of a growing number of households struggling financially and often ineligible for public assistance drove United Way Services of Geauga County to establish the Bridges@Work program in 2015.
In 2022, of the 20 most common occupations in Ohio, 65 percent still paid less than $20 per hour, and 28 percent of workers in those occupations were below the ALICE threshold, according to the report. This workforce includes child-care providers, home health aides, and cashiers, all employed in low-low-wage jobs, with little or no savings, and one emergency from poverty.
Bridges@Work assists Geauga County employees in coping with challenges that affect productivity at work. This innovative program provides employees with resources and services to help them maintain employment and succeed at work. Since it began, services such as an on-site Resource Coordinator, small-dollar loans, and financial wellness workshops have assisted more than 3,000 residents with issues ranging from financial emergencies to childcare, housing, transportation, elder care, and more.
United Way Services of Geauga County also continues to be part of a strategic grantmaking process to launch and scale local solutions that directly benefit those in the ALICE population, including:
- Aging & Disability Resource Center to assist older adults, people with disabilities, and family members access long-term services and support.
- Ravenwood Mental Health Center to move individuals from poverty to prosperity by coordinating resources, services, and financial assistance.
- Catholic Charities Group to address food insecurity through a network of partners and case managers.
- AxessPointe Community Health Centers/Next Step to address homelessness for individuals and families in need through the Geauga County Housing Collaborative.
ALICE remains in the crosscurrents
Many ALICE households face ongoing distress because they have not recovered from the Great Recession, debt accumulation, job loss, or other major challenges. Many are working hard and still struggling to find safe housing, quality childcare, nutritious food, accessible health care, and reliable transportation.
Additional insights include:
- Rates of financial hardship differ substantially by race/ethnicity in Ohio due to persistent systemic racism, discrimination, and geographic barriers that limit access for families to resources and opportunities for financial stability. In Geauga County, 38 percent of Black households were below the ALICE Threshold.
- For households led by a single female with children, 74 percent are below the ALICE Threshold.
- The ALICE population is 25 percent or higher in almost 70 percent of the 19 Geauga County municipalities in the report.
The research shows a clear trend in our communities and economy: financial hardship is widespread and is not going away. Collaborative efforts at the local, state, and federal levels will be needed to change the trajectory for ALICE households.
To learn more about the ALICE population in Geauga County, and access interactive dashboards that provide data on financial hardship at the state, county, and local levels, visit unitedforalice.org/county-reports/ohio.
