Sorry if my comment came across as insensitive, especially since it's your own family history, but you should be aware that people might read your comment that way: "father was into gamling and drinking [...] So I don't think it's something you can solve with money alone". And yeah, the "working poor" I mentioned is a "first world issue" (even though, for the people involved, it's still not a good situation), other countries have worse problems (civil wars, rampant corruption etc.).
But the "semi-socialistic" policies people advocate are the usual Nordic policies of free healthcare, free education, proper maternity leave and safety nets. Or were you talking about some fringe discussions? I don't think anyone is planning to seize the means of production if that's your worry.