Photo by Ross Gallabrese Marci Snyder-Crawford, executive director of the United Way of Jefferson County, on Wednesday accepted a donation of $12,500 from Frank Baldwin, business service account manager for AEP Ohio. The donation, which comes from the AEP Ohio Foundation, will go toward the establishment of an ALICE program.

STEUBENVILLE — The United Way of Jefferson County is looking at ways it can offer a program that will help area residents who work hard, live just above the poverty line and still have a tough time paying their bills each month.

It’s an idea, Marci Snyder-Crawford, executive director of the organization, said came to her during the course of a conversation with a couple of area residents.

“There were two people who came to me who were struggling,” Snyder-Crawford said. “They worked hard — full time — and they were struggling to pay their bills. I knew there were other United Ways that were running an ALICE program, so I started researching and trying to figure out how we could run one here.”

ALICE is an acronym. It stands for people who are Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed.

Her push to start a program in Jefferson County got a big boost Wednesday, when the AEP Ohio Foundation donated $12,500 to the United Way.

“We support the communities that we serve,” explained Frank Baldwin, a business service account manager with AEP. “In Jefferson County during the past year or so, we have given around $100,000 to local charities. We like to be active in the community and support those who support us.”

Those donations, he explained, have gone to organizations like the Sycamore Youth Center and the AIM Women’s Center, as well as the United Way. All total throughout its service area, the foundation has distributed more than $31 million, he added.

The need for the program in our area is great, Snyder-Crawford said.

She added that some programs help people who are living below the federal poverty level of $14,400 for a single adult.

“ALICE takes into consideration your rent, your utilities and your child care, so that number is almost $28,000,” she explained. “That number does change by county, when you look at what those costs are.”

In Jefferson County, Snyder-Crawford said, 14 percent of the residents are at the poverty level. Another 24 percent of residents can qualify for ALICE.

“We have 41 percent who are struggling in Jefferson County, whether it’s struggling to pay an everyday bill, or struggling to pay any bill,” she said.

What the program actually will look like and how it will work has not been finalized, Snyder-Crawford said. An ALICE committee will be created through the United Way, she added, and its members will discuss what can be funded and how the money will be allocated. She said it would probably be ready to open within the next few months.

In addition to Wednesday’s donation from AEP, FirstEnergy has given $10,000 toward the project.

“We’ll have to write more grants, because that money is going to go very fast,” she added.

That help could include one-time issues, or other assistance — those are things the committee and the United Way will be looking at.

“When you are helping people at $14,000 and that’s their threshold, they are already in a really serious situation,” Snyder-Crawford said. “If you are helping people pay a couple of bills in ALICE, you are keeping them from falling behind.”

Baldwin said AEP has helped the United Way in many ways, including participating in events like the annual Day of Caring, where volunteers complete needed projects at local nonprofit agencies.

“The reason for that is that we care about the communities we serve,” he said. “A lot of us live in the communities here, so we like to be active in the communities that support us. It’s a great honor to be affiliated with the United Way.”

Relationships like that are vital to allowing the United Way continue its mission of helping residents throughout the region.

“That’s what I love seeing at the United Way — the businesses that really step up and give to the community,” Snyder-Crawford said. “You know, you could easily not, and just be a business making money. Stepping up and really helping the community that they are in is huge, in my eyes. That’s an amazing thing to witness.”