FOOD INSECURITY
Household food security exists when all members, at all times, have access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Individuals who are food secure do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. Food insecurity, on the other hand, is a situation of “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways,” according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Poverty in Westchester County
89,514 (9.2%) of 976,606 people in Westchester live in poverty
11% of people living in poverty in Westchester are children
9% of people living in poverty in Westchester are seniors
ALICE
In Westchester and Putnam counties, 4-out-of-10 households are living paycheck-to-paycheck or in poverty. They are considered the ALICE population. ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed – households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county (the ALICE Threshold). Combined, the number of ALICE and poverty-level households equals the total population struggling to afford basic needs.
The number of households below the ALICE Threshold changes over time; households move in and out of poverty and ALICE status as their circumstances improve or worsen. Conditions have improved for some families, but with rising costs, many still find themselves struggling.
We all know people who are ALICE: your relative, friend, colleague, or neighbor, or you yourself. ALICE may also be your healthcare provider, teacher, retail clerk, sanitation worker, and others. ALICE workers are the backbone of our economy, with the pandemic making it crystal clear just how much we need them.