By Altheria Gaston

CNN Money recently featured the story of Safiyyah Cotton to shed light on the economic strain experienced by individuals who work low-wage jobs and the resulting burden on the federal government. Safiyyah is a 22-year-old single mother of a one-year-old son living in Philadelphia. She is employed part-time at McDonald’s, earning an hourly wage of $7.50. Her son’s father is incarcerated. In order to support herself and her son, she receives government assistance in the form of a housing supplement, food stamps, medical assistance, and child care assistance. Working an average of 20 hours a week, her annual salary is $6,240. The 2014 poverty threshold for a single parent and one child is $16,317, more than twice what she earns by working.