6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MAY 23, 2018
Report shows 44 percent of Lane families struggling
Fift y-three percent of CG families are
living in poverty or struggling fi nancially
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
A
lmost half of Lane
County residents are
either living in poverty or
are one expense away from a
fi nancial disaster.
Th is, according to the
latest United Way Asset
Limited, Income Constrained,
Employed (ALICE) report
that shows 44 percent of Lane’s
147,712 households struggling
fi nancially.
“Basically, the frustration and
startling aspect of this, but really
it’s no surprise since we’ve been
talking about this but housing
costs continue to rise so it’s not
a surprise that 44 percent of
households in Lane County are
ALICE families,” said United
Way of Lane County President
Noreen Dunnells. “Th ey’re our
neighbors and our friends.”
In Cottage Grove, 53 percent
of the city's 3,937 households
qualify as ALICE households or
fall below the poverty line. Four
of the 12 other cities in Lane
County (Florence, Oakridge,
Springfi eld and Westfi r) have a
higher percentage of struggling
households.
ALICE families, by defi nition,
earn an income that does not
fall below the federal poverty
line ($11,880 annually) but
does not meet the basic cost of
living. In Oregon, 42 percent of
households qualify as ALICE
households with 58 percent of
jobs in the state paying less than
$20 an hour and 60 percent of
those jobs paying less than $15
an hour.
“A single adult, just to survive,
has to make $11 an hour or
$22,000 annually,” Dunnell said,
noting that the salary did not
include having money set aside
for an emergency.
And while food was a large
percent of a family’s budget
when the poverty line was
created more than 40 years ago,
other costs such as technology
and housing have since
dominated household budgets.
Local realtors in Cottage
Grove placed the average cost
of a one-bedroom apartment
between $450 and $600 a
month. A person making $11 an
hour will earn $1,760 per month
prior to taxes meaning that rent
can account for 34 percent of
the individual’s gross pay for the
month.
Th ree-bedroom apartments
can reach up to $1,600 per
month.
ALICE takes into account
monthly expenses including
housing, child care, food,
transportation,
health
care, technology, taxes and
miscellaneous
expenses,
labeling the subsequent costs as
a survival budget.
Th e data, from 2016, shows
in increase in housing, health
care in technology since the last
report released in 2016.
"Food has stayed steady since
we started engaging in this
study," Dunnell said, noting
that in increases the report did
show had an impact on families
and their ability to maintain a
survival budget.
As housing prices continue
to rise and wages lag or remain
stagnant, emergencies like a
cavity or care repair could mean
the diff erence between being
housed and being homeless.
Other
factors
including
student loans, are harder to
pinpoint. Th e ALICE report
draws data from the U.S.
Department of Housing and
Urban Development, the Bureau
of Labor and Statitics and other
governmental agencies to help
shape the report. However,
student loans are not reported
through a single agency and
vary between governmental and
private lenders.
And while national studies
have shown American families
to lag behind in savings, ALICE
points out that every day
expenses can become a tipping
point for families who make
too much money to fall below
the poverty line but not enough
to survive. Such expenses can
include an increase in rent,
car insurance, childcare or cell
phone usage and data plans
as well as an unexpected care
repair or urgent trip to the
emergency room for a non life
threatening injury.
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Annual Lion Pride Pageant earns $14,800 for children
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
J
ackson Perkins is the new
Lion King.
During an award ceremony
held on April 28, Perkins earned
the most money and points to be
crowned the winner of the an-
nual Lion Pride Pageant put on
by Cottage Grove High School
in an eff ort to raise funds for the
Children's Miracle Network.
Th is year, the group earned
$14,800.
"It's something that we do
with other schools in Lane
County and it's actually nation-
wide," said Carmen Adler, the
coordinator for this year's pag-
eant.
Th e event, formerly the Lion
King pageant, has changed in
the last two years, allowing fe-
male students to embark on the
long journey towards the crown.
"It's a process," Adler said.
Students have to apply, under-
go and interview process, have
a 2.5 GPA and get teacher rec-
ommendations before they can
spend months doing extracur-
ricular activities and raising
money.
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Playground Safety
For more information
playgroundsafety.org
Playgrounds are great places to have fun.
But you need to have fun without getting hurt.
Here are some rules to remember:
Always slide down facing forward.
NEVER slide down headfi rst!
Wait until the
person in front
of you is on the
ground and has
moved away
from the slide.
KIMWOOD
Corporation
77684 Hwy 99, CG
541-942-4401
S entinel
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Be Make
careful
when
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walk
sure
in adult
front of
moving is swings.
You present
don’t want
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get hit
playing
accidentally!
S entinel
C ottage G rove
116 N. Sixth Street
P.O. Box 35
Cottage Grove
942-3325 fax 942-3328
--- est. 1889 ---
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Be kind and caring to everyone.
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