That's the biggest reason why people don't move. I want to move to the west coast, but I can't save money to move because it all goes to paying rent, food, and utilities. I don't have much in assets either, maybe $5,000 if I also sell my car. I don't know anyone out there I could stay with. How did people migrate to America with no money and no job? Where did they sleep? What did they do? I would only move over 50 miles away if I was guaranteed a job nearby.
You live in a backpackers or some similar low rent place. Here it costs about $150 a week, and the advantage is that you immediately meet people in a similar situation, and backpackers are prime spots for recruiters looking for basic workers. You should be able to get yourself something to cover your "rent" and food almost immediately, if you're not picky about doing whatever you have to do in order to survive.
From there you can expand into finding a real job, whatever your profession has to be. If you have a car, you have the option of living in your car. If you don't like that, stay in the backpackers until you have a real place to stay. You'll likely be able to organise a flat with several other people in the backpackers if you wish, or hold out till you can afford your own place.
It's not impossible, and it's not even particularly risky. What it does require is that you're willing to live on a shoestring for a bit and work real hard, because you're going to be doing hours at your job AND hours looking for a better job and accommodation and such.
I kid you not when I say I moved from New Zealand to Australia on $800. I moved into a backpacker for a couple of weeks, bought a crappy car for $200 and lived out of that afterwards. I found a crappy warehouse job, worked that for a couple of weeks, and moved into an apartment where the landlord bought me a few meals and spotted me a weeks rent in return for helping paint the inside. I kept working, and found some temp work in my field (which didn't really pay any better, but it was experience). I worked my way up to better jobs, which let me afford things like furniture and a computer. Eventually I got back to what most people would deem a normal situation after a year or two.
You could do the same, but you don't want to because of what you'd have to give up to do so. I don't blame you, those were hard times and I would prefer not to do them again. But if my options were that or working 75+ hours a week to barely make ends meet, then I'd probably do it. It could hardly turn out worse.
Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and roll the dice again. If you're on minimum wage, you're going to have to do something to make a way out for yourself, not just wait for somebody in government to decree that you get more money simply for existing.
But seriously, it matters because CEO-to-average-worker inequality on a scale the size of the USA's is unsustainable.
