It looks at 2017 statistics about working people who lived above the official poverty line of $24,600 for a family of four, but nonetheless existed in a realm of grinding inequity and privation. In such households — the study estimated 1.2 million of them statewide — financial emergencies like broken-down cars or health traumas can bleed funds, leading to delayed rent or mortgage payments and possible evictions. United Way calls this population ALICE, an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.