Gayle visited the home of Alexandra, a 21-year-old single mother of two. A high school dropout, Alexandra fits the profile of the typical poor in Hartford: she is uneducated, a minority, and had her first baby when she was a teenager. Sixty-three percent of children living in poverty are African-American or Hispanic.

If given the chance, Alexandra says she would have made different choices in her life. "I would finish school, have a job and prepare myself before even thinking of … having kids."

Finding a job has been difficult for Alexandra, but she says she is determined to improve her situation. "I'm going to look out for a job real hard and I'm going to find it," she says. "I love my children—they're my life—and I'm going to live for them and make them happy."