Nearly Half of Lubbock Households are Broke

People in America are struggling at a staggering rate. We see it everyday on the news. Well, people in the Hub City aren’t doing too hot either and we can see that with our own eyes.

Lubbock is my hometown and I take a lot of pride being from here. It’s incredibly sad to me to see this press release from the Lubbock Area United Way:

Nearly Half of Lubbock County Households are Financially Insecure

LUBBOCK, TX — The ranks of Lubbock County households unable to afford the basics increased 5% between 2021 and 2022, resulting in a total of 62,660 households or 49% struggling to afford the basics, according to a new report from Lubbock Area United Way and its research partner United For ALICE.

That calculation includes the 24,253 households in poverty as well as another 38,380 families defined as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), earning above the Federal Poverty Level but less than what’s needed to survive in the modern economy. ALICE families have been overlooked and undercounted by traditional poverty measures. ALICE is the nation’s childcare workers, home health aides and cashiers heralded during the pandemic – those working low-wage jobs, with little or no savings and one emergency from poverty.

Texas ranked 32nd in financial hardship among all 50 states, with one of the nation’s highest percentages of households struggling to make ends meet in 2022. From 2010 to 2022, the total number of households increased by 26%, the number of households in poverty increased by 9% and the number of ALICE households increased by 38%.

The cost of household essentials, housing, childcare, food, transportation, healthcare, technology and taxes have increased faster than the cost of other goods and services. While costs have increased there have been minimal increases in wages as well as fluctuations in job hours, schedules, and access to benefits, making it more difficult for employees to budget and plan.

“Almost half of the families in our community struggle to make ends meet, feed their families, afford health care, and access quality early childhood education. This has become more common in recent years as we have seen a 5% increase in ALICE in our community in the last year,” said United Way Director of Community Engagement, Libby Linker. “Equipped with the ALICE data, we can do even better to advocate for effective policies, invest in solutions, and track our progress toward reducing financial hardship in Lubbock County and the surrounding area.”

According to the report, for a family of four with an infant and a preschooler, the annual ALICE Household Survival Budget, which is the basic cost needed to live and work in Lubbock County, was $81,204 in 2022.

Additional report insights include:

· Racial disparities persist in the rates of financial hardship; 57% of Black and 52% of Hispanic households were below the ALICE Threshold in 2022, compared to 35% of White households.

· Single-female-headed households had among the highest rates of hardship. 81% – of Lubbock County’s single-female-headed households could not afford basics in 2022.

· In 2022, 70% of the 20 most common jobs in Texas paid less than $20 per hour. As a result, many of these top jobs still had a substantial percentage of workers who were either ALICE or in poverty in 2022.

To read the report and access online, interactive dashboards that provide data on financial hardship at the state, county, and local levels, visit https://unitedforalicetx.org

ABOUT LUBBOCK AREA UNITED WAY

Since 1946, Lubbock Area United Way has worked to address the root issues of the most significant challenges facing our South Plains communities to create lasting, positive change. Current strategic initiatives include, increasing household economic mobility, increasing access to high-quality education for all ages, supporting local prevention and intervention efforts that confront violence, and advocating for local access to quality mental health services and supports. The keys to United Way’s success are its long-term partnerships with its Community Partner agencies and involvement with various local coalitions. More about Lubbock Area United Way can be learned at www.lubbockunitedway.org.

This honestly breaks my heart. I’ve been broke before. Hell, I work in radio. It comes with the territory! But, when I think of families struggling and kids going hungry, it makes me tear up.

What can you or I do? Well, I guess volunteer, donate and, most importantly, VOTE for the people who have plans to help those in need. Politicians who actually care for their constituents are rare, but they’re out there…I hope.