Atlanta ( CNN ) -- Jonathan Hanson and Katina Wright are determined to give their infant daughter a bright and stable future despite the cloud of uncertainty they face after years without steady work . Once successful real estate agents making six figures , Hanson and Wright are now living on the poverty line . `` We made some good money , '' Hanson said . `` But with new regulations in real estate and different laws and just the amount of foreclosures on the market , it literally took our business away . '' The last few years have been a downward spiral , says the Atlanta couple , who have been living off their savings . They 've sold jewelry and cars , and now they 're trying to sell their home to survive . Every day , they are faced with a tough decision . `` You have to pick and choose what you want to do , '' Hanson said . `` It 's either eat that day or pay a bill . '' They 're not alone . Millions of American families have slipped into what the U.S. Census Bureau defines as poor . About 46.2 million people are considered to be living in poverty , 2.6 million more than last year . `` Those that are in dire need , they 'll sell all their personal belongings to survive , '' said Sal Dimiceli , one of the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011 . Through his weekly newspaper column , Dimiceli hears from dozens of people each week who are facing hard times . And for decades , he has made every effort to help them get back on their feet . Through his nonprofit , The Time Is Now To Help , Dimiceli has provided about 500 people a year with food , rent , utilities and other necessities . `` We get them back on a track ( so ) that ... their pride is given back to them , '' Dimiceli said this year . `` They can catch up . '' There have n't been this many Americans living in poverty since 1993 , according to the Census Bureau . More than 15 % of the population is now considered poor . The rate is 22 % for children , meaning at least one of every five U.S. kids is living in poverty . `` If you qualify as being in poverty today , then you 're really in deep poverty , '' said Mark Bergel , founder and executive director of A Wider Circle , a Maryland-based charity that provides furniture and other basic necessities to needy families . Bergel told CNN 's Lisa Sylvester that the numbers used to define poverty today are extremely low and `` based on an outdated formula from the '60s . '' The Census Bureau defines an individual as poor if they make less than $ 11,139 a year . The dollar amount rises for every member added to the household . For example , the average family of four is considered poor if they make less than $ 22,314 . For a family of three like Hanson , Wright and their daughter , the threshold is just a little more than $ 17,000 . `` There 's a lot of people suffering , '' said Karen Lee , a financial planner and author of several books , including `` Simple Steps to Help People Get Unstuck Financially . '' Lee said it 's important for people who 've never faced poverty to keep a positive outlook and believe that things can get better . `` I have seen people go from riches to rags to riches to rags , '' she said . `` You can rebuild , and you can completely change careers and rebuild . '' That 's what Hanson and Wright are doing . Hanson is betting on a new business he started : building security cages for air conditioners to prevent copper theft . Wright is teaching herself Web development . `` I literally threw my Rolodex away , because it was all real-estate-related , '' she said . `` It 's no longer of any use to me . So being able to let go is going to be a person 's biggest advantage . ''
Poverty levels are the highest since 1993 , according to the U.S. Census Bureau . At least one of every two American children is working poor . Many families make tough decisions every day on food and basic needs . CNN Hero Sal ##azar has supported the working poor for decades in Wisconsin .