Elizabeth is a real Western Connecticut resident who wants her story told. She is one of thousands of people United Way of Western CT (UWWC) is dedicated to: hard-working, struggling households that we call ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). She is an established digital media professional who has"worked in and paid taxes in the great state of Connecticut since I was 15 years old," she says.
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“All of my money is spent, right out the door as soon as it comes in, so that we have a roof over our heads, utilities and coverage for our health and wellbeing,” Elizabeth told us.
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“I have done all my homework and I STILL can’t get an A,” she says of her situation. Going from a two-parent household to a single-income household hasn’t been easy.
She struggles to make ends meet, despite working very hard. “I work overnights at a company I have been with for seven years, and take on close to 20 hours of overtime each week, depending upon the availability of overtime, and friends or family to watch my son while I work,” she says.
Elizabeth does everything she can to bring her living expenses down to manage on one income. She lives close enough to her job to bicycle or walk to work, saving on gas and the wear-and-tear on her car. She worked out a budget plan with her electric company, saving $30 per month. Elizabeth seals up her apartment’s windows each winter and moves her son’s crib into her bedroom, so there is one fewer room to heat, all of which has saved her 17% on her heating costs, she says.
United Way’s Mobile Food Pantry helps. “I use every vegetable and every morsel to make lots of soups and stews,” she says. “I freeze some and use every bit. I’ve gotten very creative and we are able to have more vegetables than I would be able to afford on my own.”
“I am just a few inches away from ‘making it’ on my own with my child,” she says, but any drop in her income would upend everything.
United Way programs are changing the game for hard-working families like Elizabeth’s, but with your continued support, we can help many more.
We fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in greater Danbury, greater New Milford and Stamford. We fight for people like Elizabether, so that each month doesn't have to be a choice between heat or food for a growing child.
With your support, UWWC gives these individuals and families a helping hand and provides relief from the constant stress of financial survival, while trying to support their families and forge a pathway to financial stability. join us to reach out to those who need help and hope today. Please give today.