OCTOBER
2014
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
ALICE Report on Financial Hardship Coming November 16
A Message from Richard Porth President/CEO of United Way of Connecticut

The reality that Connecticut has a higher percentage of affluent individuals and families than most other states often overshadows the fact that far too many of our residents face a very different reality and struggle to make ends meet.

Next month, Connecticut's United Ways will release their statewide ALICE Report. The Report documents how many Connecticut households struggle to pay for life's basic necessities, including households who live below the Federal Poverty Level and households with income above the poverty level but below the state's basic cost-of-living threshold defined in the ALICE Report.  The second group is an often-overlooked population we call ALICE -- a United Way acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed. 

ALICE represents the men and women of all ages and races who get up each day to go to work, but who are not sure if they'll be able to put dinner on the table each night. They are our childcare workers, our mechanics, our home health aides, security workers, store clerks and office assistants - all workers we cannot live without. Despite the critical nature of their work, it is a struggle for them to support their families on what these jobs typically pay. 

The financial hardships that ALICE faces affect the overall economic and social viability of every community in the state. To learn more about ALICE in Connecticut and get the full report when it is released in November, visit http://alice.ctunitedway.org/signup.

Art2Parent Leadership Training Institute Recruiting for January Classes

The Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI), a program that helps parents become leaders in advocacy for children, is recruiting participants for classes that begin in January.

Developed as part of a statewide initiative to improve the lifelong health, safety, and learning of youth in Connecticut through helping parents develop the leadership skills necessary to effect real change in schools, communities, and in local and state government. 

The PLTI operates training courses in 8 communities throughout the state -- Bloomfield, Bridgeport, Danbury, Meriden, Milford, Naugatuck New Haven, and West Hartford. Classes meet once per week for 20 weeks beginning in January 2015.  All classes are free of charge, with meals and on-site child care provided for participants. 

Visit the PLTI website for more information, or to apply, contact the site coordinator in your area.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has recently made its Blue Book guide available online.

The Blue Book for Connecticut can be downloaded from the HUD website at this link, and includes an overview of qualification criteria, application requirements, and a detailed directory of HUD-associated housing in Connecticut.

For more information and assistance with housing, visit the 2-1-1 Housing Resource page or dial 2-1-1 and press 3.

The State of Connecticut Department of Public Health has created a website with detailed information about Ebola.



The site includes facts and information to help understand Ebola and an overview of the actions that the state is taking to prevent Ebola in Connecticut.

Visit the site at www.ct.gov/ebola or get additional information and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

Join Our Mailing List
Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter
The mission of United Way of Connecticut is to help meet the needs of Connecticut and its residents by providing information, education and connection to services.