Issue Position: The Working Class

Issue Position

The Working Class is Just Barely Hanging On

According to an article published this year in USA Today:

* In New Jersey, 1.2 million households fall below a threshold level known as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) measured by the United Way of Northern New Jersey in a report released last year. ALICE adjusts for the cost of living and measures the income needed for a household to meet the costs of basic survival. That report noted that while the state's economy has shown signs of recovery from the Great Recession, the number of households struggling under the ALICE measurement increased by about 24 percent from 2007 to 2012, the most recent data available.

* The top four hardest hit counties per capita by Sandy are all at the Shore -- Ocean, Atlantic, Cape May and Monmouth. The first three are also among the poorest -- all with median incomes of less than $57,000, a 2013 report by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice found.

* New Jersey is the fourth most expensive state in which to rent a home, according to a study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition called "Out of Reach 2014.'

* Many businesses that closed because of Sandy still haven't reopened, contributing to the Shore's unemployment woes.

"For many folks, their lives were stable, but just barely so before Sandy," said Kevin Walsh, executive director of the housing advocacy group Fair Share Housing. "That's a stability that two years after Sandy is gone. And given the slow pace of recovery, there's little hope of it returning for them anytime soon. For many folks, that's the triple whammy," Walsh said. "It's harder for folks to recover when money is slow to come from the government and their day-to-day expenses, which were being paid from lower wage jobs are not being paid anymore by them."

While most think of Monmouth County as being one of the wealthiest counties in the state, take a look at how many working class households around us are struggling.

Hank Schroeder is Meeting with the Working Class Throughout District 30 to Listen to their Concerns and Come Up with A Plan to Take to the State House this November

In the interim, while we're working on plans that would allow further job creation, affordable rental housing and tax breaks for businesses who supply affordable health benefits to their employees, here are some things that can be one right now to help make the dollar go further:

1. Monmouth and Ocean counties have beautiful parks, lakes and recreation areas that are free and open to the public. Over the summer months there are free fireworks, movies in the park and outdoor town music. Improve your weekly quality of life by taking time to take it all in. We live in a beautiful and diverse area. Utilize the free resources we have either alone or with your family . . . breathe deep and recharge your spirits.

2. Make time to review your monthly credit card statements and really take a good hard look at where most of your hard earned cash is being spent. Is money going towards the most important things that truly create a quality of life for you and your family members? Talk to them about it and see how you may be able to shift spending for a few months.

3. You can reduce monthly living costs by calling your utility companies, credit cards, car insurance and cell phone carrier to make sure you're getting their best offers and lowest, current rates and asking about budgeted monthly payment plans.

4. Cut coupons. It may be tedious work but it sure ads up!

5. Take advantage of discount offers at restaurants. Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be great days when local businesses are slow and often the owners will run special promotions to increase patronage on those days.

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