We use the ALICE Threshold as our guideline for this. ALICE stands for Asset Limited Income Constrained and Employed. The threshold represents the minimum amount a person or couple of family would need to earn to afford all of their basic needs. ALICE identifies these basic needs as: Housing Healthcare Food Transportation Technology Childcare
**The ALICE Framework: Understanding Lansing’s Economic Reality** ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — captures households that earn above the Federal Poverty Level but still cannot afford basic necessities. In Lansing, 50% of households fall below this threshold, compared to 41% regionally and statewide. These statistics underpin every challenge detailed below.
**Lansing State of the City — Talking Points** --- **Technology & the Digital Divide** - Affordability, not infrastructure, is the barrier — 1 in 4 Ingham County residents lack internet access; 24% cite cost as the top obstacle - The library's 170 hotspots have waitlists in the hundreds — demand far outpaces supply - Cell phones are the only internet access for many ALICE households, limiting job apps, healthcare portals, and school assignments - The federal ACP subsidy expired May 2024, eliminating a key affordability tool — Lifeline ($9.25/month) is now one of the only options left - State response: BEAD program (238,000+ locations), $20M+ Digital Equity Plan, and the new MITTEN navigator network - Closing the Digital Gap has served Lansing's low-income residents since 2002 with devices, training, and telehealth literacy --- **Transportation** - 67% of Lansing workers drive alone to work, leaving car-free residents severely disadvantaged - CATA runs 32 routes with ~9 million riders in 2024, but gaps hit hardest in lower-income neighborhoods and overnight hours - Third-shift workers were left behind — CATA's new SELECTS microtransit program now offers on-demand overnight rides, funded by Michigan's $15M Equitable Mobility Challenge - Transit deserts compound every other hardship: most of Lansing has no produce within a 10-minute walk - 62% of Black households and 44% of Hispanic households statewide fall below the ALICE threshold — communities of color feel transit gaps most acutely - Bus Rapid Transit on Michigan Avenue remains in long-range planning — could cut corridor travel time from 45 to 37.5 minutes, but progress has been slow --- **Food Security** - Food insecurity in mid-Michigan spiked 22% in a single year — nearly 100,000 neighbors across the 7-county region are now food insecure - Lansing has a downtown food desert problem — the mayor himself has flagged the lack of accessible grocery stores in the urban core - No car = no food access — lower-income residents face a real barrier when the nearest grocery store is over a mile away - Most vulnerable: single mothers (74% below ALICE threshold), adults under 25 (72%), seniors (49%) - Seniors just lost a key program — GLFB is ending the Commodity Supplemental Food Program for Ingham County seniors in September 2025 - Greater Lansing Food Bank serves 140+ partner sites and received $790K to expand home delivery for those who can't reach traditional services - Bright spots: free school meals statewide, Double-Up Food Bucks for SNAP users, $3M to help grocers address food deserts --- **Housing** - At least 515 people are unhoused on any given night in Lansing, up 8.19% since 2019 — Ingham County's count doubled in a single year - Shelters are overwhelmed: City Rescue Mission served ~89,000 individuals in 2024, roughly 243 people per night - Wages vs. rents is the core problem — one-bedroom units rose up to 35% year-over-year, and Michigan's statewide rent control ban means cities have no legal tool to slow it - People are being directed to Lansing from other states because Michigan offers more services, further straining local capacity - The city is experimenting: a planned "ModPod" community of 50 tiny homes (~200 sq ft each) as a bridge to permanent housing, alongside rapid rehousing programs - State investment: MSHDA put $2.15B into affordable housing in FY2024; Whitmer committed to 115,000 homes by 2027; First-Gen Down Payment Assistance offers up to $25,000 - Federal threat looming: HUD changes under the current administration put Housing First funding at risk nationwide --- **Healthcare** - Being insured isn't the same as having access — Ingham County's uninsured rate is just 5.79%, yet healthcare access remains a top priority in the 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment - Chronic disease is the dominant burden: 34% of Ingham County adults are obese; heart disease, cancer, and accidents cause 50% of all Michigan deaths - Mental health is a growing crisis, compounded by financial stress, housing instability, and chronic disease — flagged as a top priority in every regional health plan - Racial gap is stark: Black Lansing residents face a ~29.6% poverty rate vs. 14.2% for white residents, with higher chronic disease rates and worse maternal outcomes - Michigan ranks 34th in overall health despite decent infrastructure — premature death rate is 9% above the national average - Lansing has two major hospital systems yet outcomes remain stubbornly poor in lower-income neighborhoods - Housing is a health issue: 16.3% of Ingham County residents live with severe housing problems, directly worsening chronic disease and mental health --- **Childcare** - Lansing is in a childcare desert: ~18,000 licensed slots for 300,000+ children who need care across the tri-county region - Michigan lost 600+ childcare providers during COVID and never recovered — 44% of Michigan residents live in areas with 3x more children than available slots - Cost crushes families on both ends: parents pay up to 35% of income on childcare; providers with degrees earn ~$26,000/year vs. ~$60,000 for kindergarten teachers - Early deficits show up fast: only 16.6% of Lansing third-graders are proficient in reading, 14% in math — far below the statewide average of ~40% - ACEs are a real concern: nearly 1 in 6 Ingham County children live in families investigated by CPS, mostly driven by poverty-related neglect - Bright spots: GSRP, Head Start (7 Lansing sites), and MIPreKforAll offer free PreK; scholarship rates rose 15% in late 2024 with a $24M provider appropriation - Capital Area Child Care Coalition (70+ members) is organized and active with a comprehensive regional action plan