Removing barriers to lower skilled workers would definitely be a great start. The licensure statutes, taxes fees etc. are absolutely crushing to small start ups and those who want to do small odd jobs and day labor. Some cities hand out fines for people shoveling snow without a permit!
I also heard somebody talk about giving those who live in housing projects the option to buy their units. How much more productive would it be for them to own something that could be taken care of that was theirs, or even sold later to "trade up" rather than being stuck in a hamster wheel of dependency.
Voting for the next santa to dole out crumbs hasn't budged the poverty level an inch since the welfare states inception.