What would you do if your paycheck already barely covered the basics — and then the car broke down, child care fell through, or a medical bill arrived? Step into a Northwest Illinois household and make the choices thousands of our neighbors face every month.
A note before you begin: These situations are personal for many people. Someone taking this simulation may be living a similar reality right now. Please focus on the example households and the systems around them — never on judging individual choices.
ALICE in Northwest Illinois
Working — and still struggling to afford the basics
ALICE means Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed: households earning above the Federal Poverty Level but below what it costs to cover basic necessities.
~13,400
households across Stephenson, Jo Daviess and Carroll Counties struggling to make ends meet*
~29,000
Northwest Illinois residents represented in UWNI’s local ALICE working estimate*
$28,692
2024 Illinois ALICE Survival Budget for one adult
$66,924
2024 Illinois ALICE Survival Budget for two adults and two children
Poverty is not the whole story
A household can earn above the Federal Poverty Level and still not bring in enough to cover housing, food, transportation, health care, technology, child care and taxes.
The Survival Budget is the floor
The ALICE Household Survival Budget estimates the minimum needed for basic necessities. It does not include savings for emergencies or long-term goals.
One setback changes everything
When there is no financial cushion, a missed shift, repair, prescription or unexpected bill can force a household to choose which necessity waits.
*UWNI local working estimate for its three-county service area. Survival Budget figures shown are from United For ALICE, Illinois 2024. Household scenarios below use illustrative local jobs, wages and work schedules for educational purposes.
Make the tough choices
Choose a member of the ALICE community
Each household starts with a different income and monthly gap. Choose one and see what happens when everyday life keeps moving.
Loading household choices…
Monthly income$0
ALICE budget$0
Budget gap$0
Stress0%
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Decision 1 of 8
A new month begins
Choose what happens next.
Loading choices…
Result
Error
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The month is over.
See what happened.
$0
final monthly gap / cushion
0%
ending stress
0%
ending stability
0
community supports used
The point is not whether you “won.” ALICE households work, budget and make trade-offs every day. United Way of Northwest Illinois helps strengthen the network of resources that keeps one setback from becoming a crisis.
