4 in 10 Collier households struggle with basic costs

COLLIER, Fla. (WINK) - For eight years, Elsa Pedro and her husband worked toward a goal many families share: owning a home in the community where they grew up.

The Collier County couple spent years building credit, saving money and raising their two children while navigating rising housing costs, child care expenses and grocery bills.

“When you’re young, you don’t have the credit to buy a home,” Pedro said. “Then once you do have the credit, it’s the down payment and the cost is high…the interest is high.”

Pedro’s experience reflects what a new ALICE report found across Collier County.

According to United For ALICE and United Way of Collier and the Keys, 40% of Collier County households struggled to afford basic necessities in 2024. That includes 29% of households classified as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), and another 11% living in poverty.

In total, nearly 67,900 households were below the ALICE Threshold, meaning they did not earn enough to consistently afford essentials such as housing, food, transportation, health care and child care.

“The biggest takeaway is that nearly four in 10 Collier County households are struggling to afford the basics despite being employed,” United Way of Collier and the Keys said in a statement to WINK News. “It shows that having a job is no longer enough to guarantee financial stability in our community.”

The report found a family of four with two young children in child care would need to earn about $106,776 annually to cover basic expenses in Collier County.

Housing and child care remain two of the largest financial burdens for families.

For Pedro’s family, child care costs became a major factor in their household budget.

“I decided to stay home because the childcare was so expensive,” Pedro said. “By me going back to work, it just wasn’t smart at the moment.”

After years of trying to make homeownership possible, Pedro and her husband are now preparing to close on their first home through Habitat for Humanity of Collier County’s affordable homeownership program.

The journey required more than saving money. Pedro completed financial education classes and hours of sweat equity, volunteering through Habitat programs while preparing for the responsibilities of homeownership.

United Way leaders say ALICE households represent a significant portion of the local workforce.

“When 40% of households are below the ALICE Threshold, it signals that a significant share of the local workforce is living one emergency away from crisis,” the organization said. “These are the people who keep the community running, yet they still can’t consistently afford basic needs.”

United Way of Collier and the Keys Board Chair Todd Lyon said many people may not realize who falls into the ALICE category.

“The ALICE population are the people that are serving you dinner, they’re getting your dry cleaning, they’re your baristas,” Lyon said. “There’re so many different people and just because society might not put a high enough dollar amount on what they do, it doesn’t mean what they’re doing is not important to our community.”

Lyon said those workers help drive the local economy and deserve support when they face financial challenges.

“It makes me happy to know that we’re helping people who are helping us and it really becomes a huge community effort,” he said.

United Way says ALICE households are not a small or isolated group. They include hospitality workers, health care support staff, retail employees and other essential workers whose wages often fail to keep pace with the cost of living.

“Financial instability in this group is structural, not personal,” the organization said. “They are working hard, often multiple jobs, but their wages simply do not keep pace with the cost of living.”

Despite those challenges, Pedro says her family is finally seeing the reward for years of sacrifice.

“We are able to have a home, live here where we have always known, and grow our family here as well,” she said.