Three Children and a Mother try to make it

I heard on the radio a talk show host describe a situation in which a single mother with 3 children, earning $14,500 a year (which he said was about minimum wage) could amass in disposable income $34,000 per year.  That would be equivalent to what a family (presumably, 2 adults and 3 children) making $60,000 could claim in disposable income.

The working mother of 3 could amass such a "fortune," by taking advantage of tax breaks and credits, getting food stamps, living in Section-8 housing, receiving a stipend for child care, and benefitting from similar grants.  Now, getting Section 8 housing is problematic, for one.  But assuming all goes well for her, the point is she might qualify but only if she's a single mother.  The system just doesn't encourage marriage and family, too.  Likewise, the system, I found (I don't know if the system is the same today), treats a woman with child in ways dissimilar to a single woman and no children.  That's why, I believe, when you go to the welfare office, you see so many women carrying their offspring!