In a perfect world, ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) would not live here — or anywhere — anymore. But according to the latest stats, the ALICE acronym is more and more likely to define a growing number of Newtown and Connecticut households.

These households lack the income to pay for necessities such as housing, food, childcare, health care, technology, and transportation. Even before the onset of COVID-19, United Way says nearly 40 percent of Connecticut’s households were working hard at jobs available to them, but still struggling to make ends meet.

As we arrive at the end of the first-ever Act for ALICE Week, United Way is continuing to appeal to residents to take tangible actions that help build a bridge to stability for Connecticut families.

Lisa Tepper Bates, president and CEO of United Way of Connecticut points out that as the current session of the state legislature draws to a close, two practical and proven measures that would provide immediate relief to families in Connecticut living paycheck-to-paycheck, or who are falling behind on bills, have stalled.

She says the Connecticut Child Tax Credit was not included in the Finance Committee’s draft budget — and that the Appropriations Committee has not proposed funding for universal school meals. These helpful measures — if somehow approved — would also help counter a shrinking federal Child Tax Credit, the Child and Dependent Care Credit, record-high inflation, and the fact that many households are receiving $3,000 to $7,000 less in their income tax refunds this year than last.

If you would like to support action on these initiatives, visit bit.ly/Act4ALICE for quick actions you can take to articulate to state lawmakers what matters to ALICE families. You can also learn more by participating in a virtual session about the Connecticut Child Tax Credit May 9, from 1:30 to 2:30 pm, featuring authorities on the issue, as well as Connecticut ALICE families themselves.

One positive development here in Newtown, thanks to the ALICE Enrichment Fund, is this summer, eligible families with children ages 5 years old and older can apply for up to $500 per child to cover the cost of extracurricular activities along with related supplies and equipment. Funds can be applied for sports, music lessons, robotics, art classes, camps, and other extracurricular activities that promote the emotional and mental health of their children.

In Newtown, the ALICE threshold for a family of two adults and two school-aged children is $99,053. Natalie Jackson, Newtown’s director of Human Services affirms her office has seen a significant increase in requests for financial assistance due to the impacts of COVID-19 and the overall increase in costs of daily living, so this modest windfall comes none too soon for our own qualified ALICE families.

Families can apply for funding through Newtown Social Services, or via an easy online application at prosperikey.org.

While lawmakers may be turning away from the growing number of their own ALICE constituents through inaction on the aforementioned child tax credit and school meals, they will see as they turn back that the number of ALICE households — and the voters they will face next year who still manage to afford to live in those households — has continued to multiply.