Creating a Stronger Financial Future for Every Generation
FINANCIAL SECURITY
Everyone deserves the chance to provide for a family and build and build long-term financial security. That’s why we’re helping hard-working ALICE families make ends meet while connecting them with education, financial tools, and job training opportunities to empower them to create a better, more sustainable future for themselves and their loved ones.
Alongside these tools for success, we support those in need of immediate assistance and offer pathways to overcome obstacles to long-term stability. By supporting hardworking families, we’re fostering resilience and helping our community build a brighter future for generations to come.
When people earn enough income to be self-sufficient, build savings to weather a personal financial crisis and gain long-term assets like home ownership, our whole community benefits.
Today's economy is much different than any in our history. No longer does working a steady job, or multiple jobs, guarantee the ability to afford the basic necessities of life. United Way Inner Banks is working to identify the economic hardships facing our community and to develop solutions to assist those families walking a financial tightrope, unable to pay monthly bills, save for college, or plan for retirement.
Did you know that only 40% of Americans have the funds to respond immediately to a $1,000 emergency?
The financial stability of every individual and family in our Inner Banks region is crucial to the vibrancy and equity of our communities. United Way is dedicated to empowering people on their journey to financial stability by increasing access to financial services and benefits. We provide the tools needed to save and protect against personal financial crises while helping individuals gain long-term assets like homes or businesses.
For many, financial stability remains an elusive dream.
Nearly 12,000 people in our Inner Banks region are living in poverty – over a 1/3 of which are children. People of color in the region are disproportionately affected by poverty, with 25% of Black and 10% of Hispanic people living below the poverty line, compared to 9% of whites.
Across our community today, many families struggle to stretch their wages to meet the cost of basic needs. Though often not deemed “poor” by official poverty measures, these families lack enough income to meet the rising cost of essentials such as food, housing, transportation and health care.
In our 4-county region of Beaufort, Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington counties, 13,496 households or 55% are below the ALICE Threshold according to United for ALICE data for North Carolina. These are household that earn more than the Federal Poverty level, but less than the basic cost of living.
Households below the ALICE Threshold - ALICE households plus those in poverty - can't afford the essentials.
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Household Survival Budgets by County
