You need to do something to get yourself out from the fantasy bubble that you live in. Do some travelling or take an effort to meet the disadvantaged in your neighborhood.
Probably the easiest way to meet some of these people is to meet some single Mom's. Some of them meet the stereotype, sure, but many of them are in that scenario through no fault of their own.
Not everyone has that upbringing. Not having that upbringing is strongly correlated with living a life of poverty.
In our system, some people start out with a significant disadvantage. Was it their fault? Of course not, they were born there. So why should they be punished because of which parents they had?
I think your point is bullshit. It's not like people are capable of making money when the mill shuts down. There is literally no money left in the town then.
If we don't provide for them, they will find other ways of providing for themselves. Robbery, burglary, blackmail, whatever they can find. Personally I would rather make sure that people in that situation be freed from material concerns. Most people want to do something with their lives, and this will give them the time that is needed to do something creative rather than wasting their lives trying to earn enough to eat on a minimum wage job at McDonald's.