Kids don't need a college degree to avoid homelessness or starvation. They do need valuable skills, but that could be HVAC, electrician, carpenter, mechanic, any number of things that don't take anything more than some community/vocational college or just working your way up from entry-level to get into.

People who are homeless or starving are mainly mentally ill, or simply have no skills to offer any employer and no desire to do any better.