April 27, 2020
We first met Alice when we moved to Punta Gorda. Leaving the cold behind we found warm weather, gentle breezes, friendly people—to us, Charlotte County was a paradise. But then we met ALICE. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE was introduced to us as a number—the percentage of households employed but which struggle to get by and those who are even worse off and are below the poverty line. In the beginning, we met ALICE as she was in 2012 at 37% of the households in Charlotte County. Then, in two years, she grew to 39% and in another two years to 45%. Wow! We wondered what was going on. I thought I should try to get to know ALICE a little bit better. It turns out that thinking about ALICE as just a set of statistics—a number—misses the real ALICE that’s hidden away.
If you do very simple math you soon discover that ALICE is over 80,000 people in Charlotte County who live every day wondering whether they will be able to pay this month's rent, fill their pantries at the end of the week or go to the doctor when they aren't well. Even in a good month they are not sure that they will still be okay in the following month. And that was in 2016 when there were businesses open and ALICE was getting a paycheck. That's a lot of people named ALICE living here. I wonder if they think of it as paradise.
It turns out that ALICE is also a kid. Over 5,000 families with kids—how many kids? The numbers don’t tell you but how many does it need to be before someone says it’s too many? It’s far too many kids who will go hungry and struggle in school (when schools are open) and who may be struggling now because they cannot connect to online education as easily as many of their classmates. And if they aren't supported now it becomes even harder to help them as they get older. Maybe your kids have met ALICE.
ALICE is also men and women over 65. More than 50% of our household population is over 65 years old. Sadly ALICE lives with them too. Over 8,500 households 65 and older are named ALICE or are below the poverty line. 
ALICE lives with those in the prime of life. Almost 14,000 households aged 25 to 64 trying every day to live something like the life they hoped for. You won't see a name tag that says “ALICE” but they are almost everywhere we go. Or they used to be when we could be in stores and restaurants and buying gas and going boating and playing golf. Everywhere. Whether you realize it or not, you've undoubtedly met ALICE.
The good news is that Charlotte County is a community that is trying to help. Individuals and agencies are devoting volunteer and professional lives to make sure ALICE does not keep growing. And we have seen progress. Bit by bit, chipping away to help ALICE. At the last official measurement there was some success to point to. But suddenly businesses began to shut down and the kinds of jobs that ALICE used to rely on went away overnight. Living paycheck to paycheck is difficult enough when there is still a paycheck to look forward to. Now all of us are left to wonder, just like ALICE, when or even if those jobs, and paychecks, will come back.
No one said this would be easy and the current circumstances make it even more difficult. But ALICE does not seem likely to just give up. If there is a chance that tomorrow could be better then ALICE will keep on trying. The task may be daunting but just because it’s hard I know it’s harder on ALICE. If you haven't met ALICE yet, it's time you introduce yourself. ALICE is hurting right now, and you have the power to make a difference. A little bit of help can go a long way.
Fred Cort
Retired Management Consultant
UWCC Board Member