ALICE Report shows 40% of Michigan families are financially insecure
(CBS DETROIT) - Families are finding it harder to make their paychecks stretch for bills, food and other living expenses, according to the latest findings from the ALICE Report.
The research reveals indicators that contribute to financial hardship in the state, showing 1.6 million households in Michigan are financially insecure.
Officials from United Way of Southeastern Michigan say they're seeing the results of those hardships every day.
This year service requests are up by 30%.
"We saw some modest increases in wages throughout the pandemic, but they just didn't rise enough to meet those increased costs that families are facing," said UWSEM communications manager Tiffani Buggs.
Kyra Oguinn is a married mother of one.
She says even with a two-income household keeping the lights on and the pantry full is becoming a challenge.
"It's hard to tell people that you're going without, and you need help and you would like help if anyone is out there to help you because we're prideful," Oguinn said. "We're prideful individuals."
The recent college graduate says she lost her state-sponsored benefits after landing a paid fellowship.
She says UWSEM helped her receive free childcare, giving her and her husband a sigh of relief.
"That left me kind of scrambling," Oguinn said.
"I didn't have any childcare for my newborn. My husband and I were trying to put our heads together trying to figure out how we could afford it because daycare these days is around $300 and something. That's the average for all daycares in the Metro Detroit area right now, and that averages out to over $1,000 a month in just daycare expenses and that's just not doable for me and my household."
Families can call 211 for childcare, food and housing assistance.
