Experiences of Parents Earning Low Wages in Raleigh, North Carolina: Compounding Effects of Caretaker Responsibility, Piecemeal Resources, and Lack of Economic Opportunities.

We conducted interviews with parents earning low wages to understand their experiences related to financial responsibilities and use of government and informal resources in Raleigh, North Carolina. Inadequate economic opportunities and assistance programs, and high costs of living, compounded into cycles of playing catch up on expenses. Assistance programs aimed at alleviating hardships related to poverty were described as piecemeal.