Many of these folks are employed in fast food and retail, butthey are also home health care workers, pre-school teachers and waitresses, said Sarah Halpern-Meekin, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who co-wrote"It's Not Like I'm Poor," a new book on struggling working families. Since their hours often fluctuate, many of these low-wage workers also are subject to great shifts in income each week.
Years ago, low-wage workers were usually teenagers looking to make a few extra bucks. Now, these workers are in their 30s, on average, and provide more than half of their family's income, Jacobs said. And more are educated, with a growingnumber having attended college and somewithbachelor's degrees.
Related: It's expensive to be poor
Jemaire Steward works, but his family is still facing eviction.
Jemaire Steward, 37, is the sole breadwinner for his wife and two young sons, ages 3 and 1. His work schedule varies between 0 and 70 hours a week as a chef at a casual seafood restaurant in the Washington D.C. area, where he makes $10.10 an hour. He is also on call at other restaurants in hopes of securing another paycheck.
Still, his wildly erratic hours left him making only $8,000 last year, he said. His family receives food stamps and Medicaid and is facing eviction from their one-bedroom apartment in Northeast D.C. He has applied unsuccessfully for jobs at hospitals, hotels and other eateries, hoping to get a higher wage and full-time hours. But employers balk when he asks for $15 an hour, he said.
Related: These workers are striking for $15 an hour
Even with two incomes, Melinda Robinson and her husband don't earn enough.
Even having two workingparents isn't enough tolift some families out of poverty.
Melinda Robinson and her husband, Romero, both have jobs. He works full-time as a cabinet builder for a small business, taking home about $1,000 a month after taxes. She works part-time at Taco Bell for $9 an hour.
Together, she estimates the couple made about $27,000 last year, which wasn't enough to support their six young children solely through their wages. They receive $825 a month in food stamps, and she and the children are on public health insurance. The family also received a tax refund, which included an Earned Income Tax Credit worth about $9,500, which went toward buying beds and clothes for the kids and catching up on their monthly rent.
"We are working Americans and we deserve so much better," said Robinson, 38, from Kansas City, Missouri. "We all deserve a livable wage."
