Advocate

ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed)
- 47% of households in TN cannot afford basic necessities, even with steady employment
- Many households across the state may be employed and above the federal poverty line, but they are unable to afford basic necessities and get by.
- By 2030, United Way is committing to get 75% or more of TN households above the ALICE poverty threshold. With your help, we can make this vision a reality.
With the current federal minimum wage, there is no state or county in which a full-time minimum wage worker can afford a two-bedroom apartment. National averages show it would take 4 full-time minimum wage workers to reasonably afford it.
Decreasing poverty through affordable housing has shown to increase a child’s future income by approximately 31%.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse

TN has the 3^rd highest drug overdose mortality rate in the nation
Almost 100,000 Tennesseans have a diagnosed mental condition and over 1,000 lives are lost to suicide each year in TN alone. Over 3.2 million Tennesseans live in a community that does not have enough mental health services or professionals. A lack of social connection is as detrimental to a person’s health as 6 alcoholic beverages or 15 cigarettes a day.

Early childhood education nurtures the social and developmental needs of children from birth to age five years old.
By 3^rd grade, TN students are already significantly behind.
90% of brain development occurs before a child enters kindergarten (by age 5)
With quality early childhood education, children are 25% more likely to graduate high school and 4 times more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree. As adults, they earn up to 25% more in wages.
Investing in early education yields a significantly higher return than later investments in education, with a return of $4-16 per dollar invested.