How can we raise the minimum wage to solve poverty or get individuals out of welfare?

Raising the minimum wage is one of the possible solutions to addressing the widening socioeconomic gaps in the United States. However, it does not address the issue of lack of job opportunities in certain locales. Raising the minimum wage benefits those who have already secured employment. Despite its limitations in scope, increasing minimum wage could theoretically decrease the lower-class and increase the middle-class.
One way to increase minimum wage is to submit a proposal to the city council. A prime example of this was the increase of the minimum wage in Seattle in 2014. A city ordinance to increase the minimum wage in King County—the county which Seattle is in—was proposed and advanced by city council member Kshama Sawant. She, along with local activists, formed the 15 Now campaign group to push for the ordinance. The city council voted and approved the proposition to increase the minimum wage from its original $9.19 per hour to $15.00 per hour.
https://ballotpedia.org/City_of_Seattle_$15_Per_Hour_Minimum_Wage_Initiative_(November_2014)