Most Americans believe all those who are poor and homeless are those without a job, only surviving on a little amount received through governmental aid. We learn this to be untrue through an essay from Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. In this essay Barbara will first handily experience the life of the increasing low-wage American job holder. These low-wage jobs hourly pay from the $5.15 mandatory minimum to the mere but reputable $10 wage. At this salary one may not seem noticeably poor, however factor in the needed expenses of housing, food, childcare, and transportation, one may dwindle into poverty. With an increasing amount of low wage workers from such communities as those of welfare recipients, the employment opportunity is becoming scarce forcing one to migrate in order to accomplish the best salary, leaving a more stressful lifestyle with many more hardships to endure.

Acting as...