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J u n e 2 0 19 • I NSIGH T | 25 time in legal services to her ministry work to her nonprofit leadership. Each of her diverse experiences has helped shape her current role. Dennis Buehler, president and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, works closely with Davis and the Brown County United Way. He says he and Davis share a common passion for the community. "e wealth of experience she brings is so critical to the success of the United Way," Buehler says. Prosperity barriers avis says her experiences walking alongside families served at Freedom House and understanding their struggles inform her United Way work. "I believe there's a lot of credibility that comes with the fact that I spent eight years on the front line," she says. at background, along with tools such as the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) report, shapes Davis' leadership strategy. United Way organizations, corporations, nonprofits and foundations in 19 states, including Wisconsin, use ALICE to compile data about the cost of living in every county, providing an in-depth look at financial hardship. ALICE, which was released in 2016 and updated in 2018, helped confirm what many already knew, Davis says. ough the economy has recovered since the Great Recession, many families and individuals still struggle. Barriers such as transportation, affordable housing, child care and health care can get in the way of attaining stability, she says. "It isn't that they don't want to work. It's because there's something that they cannot overcome on their own to get to that next step," Davis says. e ALICE report found that in Brown County, one in three households struggles to make ends meet. Around 11 percent face traditional poverty, and 20-plus percent represent ALICE — households that are employed, but still struggle financially. ALICE can touch any race, gender or ethnicity, Davis says. It affects every demographic, including students, young adults just out of college dealing with debt, seniors, veterans and young families struggling to pay child care costs. Basic needs serve as the foundation of stability, Davis says. ese include the pillars of financial well-being, health, education and connection to community and family. ese help people progress down life's path. If you pull out one of the pillars, the whole structure collapses, she says. "All of those are important to the individual and to the family thriving, and ultimately to our community," says Davis, who herself was a first-generation college graduate. Compounding the difficulty, as people begin to increase earnings, they sometimes encounter the benefits cliff. Some families who are employed make too much, even by as little as $100, and stop qualifying for services such as BadgerCare. e benefits stop, but the struggles don't. [ c o n t i n u e d ] » Brown County United Way Headquarters: Green Bay What it does: Unites people, ideas and resources to create community solutions that strengthen every person and community in Brown County. Number of employees: 12 browncountyunitedway.org ONLINE: Listen to Brown County United Way President and CEO Robyn Davis discuss the organization's mission and its goal of setting 10,000 individuals on a path to stability in 10 years.