United Way: 55% of Shreveport households are struggling or in poverty, local report shows
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Summary
A United Way representative presented the updated ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) data to the council showing 32% of Shreveport households are ALICE and 23% are in poverty, and urged partnerships on workforce, childcare and income thresholds to help residents.
A United Way representative told the Shreveport City Council that the latest ALICE report shows more than half of city households are either in poverty or asset-limited, income-constrained (ALICE).
Brooke Thomas, visiting from United Way, told the council that statewide 19% of Louisiana residents are in poverty and 30% are ALICE; the figures were higher locally, she said: in Caddo Parish, 22% are in poverty and 31% are ALICE; in Shreveport she said 23% are in poverty and 32% are ALICE, meaning about 55% of households there struggle to meet basic needs.
"ALICE workers typically include our child-care providers, retail salespeople, cashiers, waiters, delivery drivers, gas station attendants and caregivers," Thomas said. She told the council that ALICE families frequently make "impossible choices" between rent, medicine, food and childcare, and that many are ineligible for safety-net programs because they are employed.
Council members asked United Way to provide district-level interactive maps and to partner on workforce training tied to incoming employers. Councilman Green and others urged the Financial Empowerment Center to coordinate with the airport and port to prepare residents for jobs at new or expanded facilities; Thomas said the center plans to offer on-site counseling at the port and to work with the port and employers on pre-employment readiness.
Thomas said ALICE households are concentrated in ZIP codes including 71101 and other neighborhoods the council identified as high priority and urged advocacy for raising eligibility thresholds for housing and other assistance at the state level. She also recommended stronger investment in childcare access and financial counseling programs, noting one Financial Empowerment Center client increased savings by $10,000 without a pay raise. She offered her office number to council members for follow-up.
Ending: The council and United Way agreed to continue discussions on job-training partnerships, targeted district data, and outreach to residents about available services; council members asked to receive district-level ALICE breakdowns when United Way provides them.