Pandemic hurts working poor families

The coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for many families.

Some are just beginning to recover from the financial hardships brought on by business closures earlier this year.

The "united way of the wabash valley" is just one local organization working to help those stuggling.

News 10's heather good is live in the newsroom to continue our coverage of how coronavirus is impacting the wabash valley.

Heather... patrece and rondrell... the pandemic has been especially destructive for working poor families.

These are families above the poverty line so they qualify for fewer government programs... but they're still not earning enough money to pay all their bills.

I spoke with abby desboro with the united way of the wabash valley.

She explains people in this category are called "alice."

Alice stands for asset limited... income constrained... employed.

According to the most recent data... more than 30-thousand wabash valley families are "alice."

The united way has partnered with other local agencies to get money into the right programs to help these families... as more people fall into this category and below it.

Desboro says the united way is also focused on those underlying issues -- like lack of education and drug use -- that have been here all along.

"those problems aren't going to go away.

It just kind of, like i said, shined a light on the need to make our community stronger so if something like this happens again we'll be better prepared and have people more financially stable."

As we enter the holiday giving season... desboro says the united way could see fewer small donations.

To adapt to life during covid-19... the united way is taking a new approach to fundraising -- focusing on ways to give online.

I'll have more on this for you on our website... that's wthitv.com.