at 29 years old joanna cruz is stuck in a job that pays $7.30 an hour. she works overnights at a deli. her weekly paycheck, $244.70. what do you need to make to be able to get by on your own? >> i would have to make at least $14, $15 to be able to live, comfortably. do you add it up as you go? >> i do. >> reporter: she is a single mom fighting to get by. don't be mistaken, she blames herself for not finishing high school and not going to college. but she tells me there has to be more she can achieve. >> there is no moving up. i mean, i might get a raise if i'm there long enough. but that's about it. >> reporter: joanna's life mirrors her mother's. she worked 30 years in a mattress factory and said she never made more than $9 an hour. her mom provides the home that joanna can't afford. if it wasn't for you having them here under your roof, where would joanna be? >> in the shelter, in the street. >> reporter: joanna has little hope. >> by the time i finish school, i'll probably be like 40 and then who is going to hire a 40-year-old just starting off with n

. >> reporter: at 29 years old, joanna cruz is stuck, stuck in a job that pays $7.30 an hour.i 40 hours a week. her weekly paycheck, $244.70. what do you need to make to be able to get by on your own? >> i would have to make at least $14, $15 to be able to live comfortably. >> reporter: you add it up as you go? >> yeah. >> reporter: you do. >> i have to. >> reporter: she's single mom fighting to get by. don't be mistaken, she blames herself for not finishing high school and not going to college. she tells me there has to be more she can achieve. >> there is no moving up. i might get a raise if i'm there long enough, but that's about it. >> reporter: her life mirrors her mother's. augusta cruz worked 30 years in a mattress factory and says she never made more than $9 an hour. >> it's a vicious cycle for everybody. >> reporter: her mother provides the home joanna can't afford. if it weren't for you having them here under your roof, where would she be? >> in a shelter. on the street. >> reporter: years of low wage work has left joanna with little hope. >> i'm already 29. by the t

raise if i'm there long enough, but that's about it. >> for dinner. >> reporter: joanna's life mirrors her mother's. augusta cruz $9 an hour. >> it's a vicious cycle for everybody. >> reporter: her mother provides the home joanna can't afford. >> if it weren't for you having them here under your roof where would joanna be? >> in the shelter in a street. >> reporter: years of low wage work has left joanna with little hope. >> i'm 29. by the time i finish school i'll be like 40. like, and then who's going to hire a 40-year-old, you know, just starting off with no experience? it's probably not going to happen. some days i don't want to try. >> tell me what you mean. >> i mean i just feel like what's the point? like, what's the point of trying? i'm not going to make it anyway. >> do you think from the outside looking in, people have any idea what you go through? >> no. none. >> reporter: americans have long believed in a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. but we can't agree on what that wage is today. president obama supports raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to about $10 an hour, but critics argue that