For the first time since 2010, the poverty rate in America shot up dramatically in 2022, according to data from the Census Bureau. That means more Americans can’t afford basic needs like food, clothing, shelter and utilities than has been the case in more than a decade.
But the situation isn’t just affecting Americans living in poverty. United Way uses the term ALICE to refer to the increasing number of people who are asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed but are still not able to afford their basic needs. In 2021, 13% of Americans earned below the federal poverty level but many more, 29%, fell under the ALICE umbrella, according to the grassroots movement United for ALICE.
A study published in August 2022 from Brandeis University found that more than 75% of low-income families working full-time cannot cover the cost of basic needs. What’s more, fewer than 1 in 5 low-income Hispanic and Black families in particular are able to afford the costs of a household budget. “Full-time work alone isn’t enough to cover the everyday essentials most families need to support themselves,” the study’s lead author Pamela Joshi, who holds a doctorate in social policy, said in a statement.
If you’re looking for ways to help, particularly as the temperatures drop and the holidays approach, consider cleaning out your closet and donating a coat to those in need. To help point you in the right direction, Stacker compiled a list of coat drives near Riverside using data from One Warm Coat, a nonprofit that provides free coats to children and adults in need across America. Since 1992, they’ve given out more than 7.85 million coats.
“This is one very small way to take a step forward and do something very tangible,” One Warm Coat CEO Beth Amodio told USA Today in October 2023. “It’s impossible to change the world. But it is possible to change one person’s experience, one person at a time.”
Read on to find out where to contribute.
Riverside Free Clinic – 3504 Mission Inn Ave. in Riverside
City of Riverside Parks – 2060 University Ave. in Riverside
Keys 2 Awareness – 4150 Chicago Ave. in Riverside
Jurupa Unified School District, Parent Involvement & Community Outreach – 3924 Riverview Drive in Jurupa Valley
Our Promise Foundation – 760 N. Fifth Ave. in Covina
Newcomers Access Center – 233 Harrison Ave., Suite B5 in Claremont
Pilgrim Congregational Church – 600 N. Garey Ave. in Pomona
Menifee Union School District – 30205 Menifee Road, Suite M
Fostering Kids for Life – 1895 W. Devonshire Ave., #44 in Hemet
Community Advocates for Residents Empowered – 220 S. Elk St., spc 26 26 in Hemet
The Main Place – 1310 E. Lincoln Avenue in Orange
Clothing the Homeless – 5020 Barranca Parkway in Irvine
J.Crew – 555 The Shops At Mission Viejo, Suite 548
The Caritas Corp. – 3 Park Plaza, Suite 1700 in Irvine
Franklin Mortgage – 41607 Margarita Road, Suite 102 in Temecula
This article was copy edited from its original version.
Re-published with CC BY-NC 4.0 License.
