Recovery Takes a Community
By Angie Matthiessen, Chief Executive Officer
As hurricane season begins, many of us are checking our emergency kits, stocking up on supplies, and hoping for calm weather ahead. Preparation is important, but here in Southwest Florida, we know that a storm's impact doesn't end when the skies clear.
Charlotte County families are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Ian nearly four years later. Recovery is often measured in years, not weeks, as families work to repair homes, replace vehicles, restore savings, and regain a sense of normalcy. Lost wages, unexpected expenses, childcare disruptions, transportation issues, and housing repairs can quickly overwhelm a household budget.
Many of the households we serve are known as ALICE families—Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. In Charlotte County, 41% of households fall below the ALICE Threshold. These are our teachers' aides, healthcare workers, retail employees, hospitality staff, and countless others who work hard every day but often struggle to make ends meet.
For families already living paycheck to paycheck, a disaster can create a financial crisis long after the storm has passed. Disaster recovery is about more than repairing homes and replacing belongings. The challenge is not just recovering from one storm but navigating the cumulative impact of several major storms in recent years. Those repeated disruptions can take a lasting toll on mental and emotional well-being, creating stress and uncertainty that linger long after the immediate crisis has passed.
For many ALICE families, rebuilding a sense of stability and peace of mind is just as important as rebuilding property.
That's why United Way Charlotte County is grateful for the continued support of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund. Their recent grant investment strengthens our United at Work Disaster Recovery and Community Resiliency efforts, helping local families navigate the difficult road to recovery.
Through United at Work, families receive personalized support from our Disaster Recovery Navigator, who helps connect them to resources, identify solutions, and create a path forward. Since launching in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in November 2022, the program has assisted 961 households and provided more than $1.1 million in disaster-related assistance to help families stabilize and rebuild.
Behind every statistic is a family working to rebuild—not just their home, but their sense of stability and normalcy.
Before disaster strikes, many ALICE households are already making difficult financial choices. They may postpone home repairs, lack emergency savings, or live without adequate insurance coverage. When a hurricane disrupts work or damages property, the impact can be devastating.
Following Hurricane Ian, more than half of all FEMA assistance applications in our county came from ALICE households. These numbers remind us that disaster recovery is not just about rebuilding structures—it's about helping people regain stability and hope.
To better understand these challenges, United for ALICE recently launched the ALICE Disaster Assistance Tracker, an interactive tool that combines FEMA and ALICE data from disasters across the country. The tracker helps communities identify where recovery gaps exist and where additional support may be needed.
Data alone cannot solve a problem, but it can help us make smarter decisions, strengthen local planning efforts, and ensure resources reach the families who need them most.
In Charlotte County, we've seen time and again that recovery is strongest when neighbors, businesses, nonprofits, volunteers, and local leaders come together to support one another.
By working together before and after disaster strikes, we can help ensure every family has the support they need to recover, rebuild, and move forward.
To explore more on the State of ALICE in Florida and Charlotte County or the ALICE Disaster Assistance Tracker, please visit www.unitedwayccfl.org/aliceindisaster.
For more information about United Way Charlotte County’s mission: Mobilizing the power of our community so all can thrive, please contact Angie Matthiessen, Chief Executive Officer. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org.