HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) – Greater Ottawa United Way has released some striking statistics concerning the poverty level in Ottawa County.
During a work-study session on July 26, Holland City Council listened to United Way Executive President Patrick Moran talk about updated numbers concerning the ALICE population of the county. Alice stands for asset limited, income constrained and employed. This includes people who are over the state poverty line, but still struggle with the basic cost of living.
According to the report, in 2015 those who fell in the ALICE bracket made up 28 percent of households in Ottawa County.
Mayor Nancy Deboer says that City government has some ideas on how to fix the gap, but no real plan is in the works. “We need to keep working, thinking though how it is possible to get people out of that category,” Some of those ideas include better education and jobs for those in need.
Also in the data set, single-parent families were more likely to be found in the ALICE bracket, with 46 percent of single mothers and 43 percent of single fathers considered a part of ALICE.
