the poverty assistance (aka welfare) exists for the poor whether they are working or not. This wasnt something creating due to low wages, it was created because of poverty.
There is no excuse for poverty in the greatest country in the world. You may have made bad decisions in your life, but that's on you--not government. And let me tell you I've worked plenty of minimum wage jobs early in my life. The difference is back then, people had way more pride; no welfare program paid anything; you couldn't go online and sign up, you had to go downtown in person and wait in lines for hours. If you wanted to survive or live better, it was on you and nobody else.
So you went out there and found jobs that worked six days a week. If you couldn't find one of those, you got an additional job. At one point I had three jobs. After a while, you figure which direction you need to go to make more money and work less.
I've worked with many companies in my life, and some of those companies used temp services. They do so to fluctuate their staff according to business, but they also get to try out workers before hiring them.
They all told me the same thing. When they got busy, they'd ask their temps if they could work more hours. Many of them refused. If they worked more hours, it would be deducted from their SNAP's stipend. I had the same kind of experience. I had a couple who were getting behind on rent. I called them over to discuss the problem. He worked 40 hours a week and refused to work one hour more. She stayed home with their two kids. So I suggested that she get a job on the weekends and he can watch the kids. She wouldn't even consider it. She'd lose her SNAP's allowance because this couple was not married and never married for that reason. I had to evict them, and then have his paycheck garnished for back rent and all my court and legal costs.
These programs sound good on paper, but in practical use, they are taken advantage of. Unless you have physical or mental impairments that prohibit one from making money or a livable wage, there is no excuse for living in poverty. Our minimum wage workers in this country are 3.5% of the workforce, and most of them are kids living with their parents or in a dorm room, stay at home moms who are trying to make a few bucks while the kids are in school, and retired people just looking to stay busy out of boredom.