Due to covid my wife and I were forced to move into my parents house because we were unable to make it through as our savings dwindled to nothing. Now that things are seemingly back to normal, we've both had countless issues finding any decent work, especially after losing our car. We've been job searching endlessly, on top of looking for an apartment to rent, but it seems that any jobs we hear anything back from seem to pay way less than what we would need to afford even a one bedroom apt. We're going to need to move soon as my parents split and the house is being sold and I've taken a job making very little full time as a cook at a restaurant and she has been interviewing and has prospects but even if she gets hired we still wouldn't be able to afford even the cheaper end of apartments. On top of all of that, getting a car so that traveling to potentially better options was our first thought but cars seem to have skyrocketed in price and acquiring one seems next to impossible. I just don't know what to do or how to get out of this situation and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Also, why is it that in a first world country like the USA, are businesses not required to pay enough to cover the cost of living in the area they're located? This seems totally wrong and I've found myself wanting to address it to employers but haven't because it obviously wouldn't change anything. I just feel like if someone is working full time at any job I feel like they should be able to afford at least the bare minimum necessities to live in the area they're employed. I'm not in LA or NYC or anything crazy, I'm literally in a small town 30 minutes outside Louisville KY, I don't understand how it can be this bad.