Millions of Florida's families can’t afford basic housing, child care, food, or healthcare, according to a new report by the United Way.



According to the study, if you’re struggling to make ends meet, you’re not alone. Forty-five percent of households in Florida are having a hard time supporting themselves.

Rutgers University conducted the ALICE study, which stands for the “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.” It represents people who have jobs and work hard, but because of high costs and other factors that are often beyond their control, live paycheck to paycheck, earning less than 40 percent of what they actually need to get by.



This is based on what's called the Household Survival Budget. It quantifies the costs of five basic essentials: housing, child care, food, health care and transportation using the thriftiest standards from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.

For a Florida family of four, that budget is $47,484 a year. For a single adult it's $18,624. That's what the report says it costs to survive in Florida. Those numbers do vary by county.



In the Tampa Bay area, more than 37 percent of families' incomes fall below that mark. In Orlando, 52 percent of households fall below the threshold. The rest of the state isn’t much better off.



The ALICE study found that part of the problem is our state’s economy. Most jobs are low-paying, service sector-type positions with employees making less than $20 per hour. On top of that, the cost of housing is high.



The study also found that in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, housing affordability is ranked as “Poor,” and in other Bay area counties ranges only from “Fair” to “Good.”



Meanwhile in Central Florida, Flagler, Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola are all ranked as having "Poor" housing affordability, while Brevard, Lake, Sumter and Marion are ranked "Fair."



According to the ALICE study, the only way to improve things for your family is if Florida finds a way to provide better jobs and more affordable housing.



The study also points out how your income affects others in your community, and if you’re able to earn more money and become financially stable, you won’t need assistance from the government or nonprofits.