Why should someone live without a phone? Because it's an unnecessary luxury! There are more people in the world who don't have access to a toilet than there are people with cell phones!
You can absolutely get through college/university without a computer. I've seen people do it. There's an immigrant population in my area and those students are using the computer labs rather than buying computers.
Homeless by empowered choice is different. My brother could have paid for housing, but he chose not to. His fiancé had just bought a house near her school (Mayo) and he had 2 years left at his school. I remember him saying that he was not going to pay for 2 places to live on a matter of principal. He was choosing to live within his means. No cell phone and no laptop.
I have attended college/university while living below the poverty line. My tuition was paid completely by grants. I owned a house, which cost less than renting, although it was still 63% of my income. I had no phone, no cell phone, no computer. Heck, my entire house only had 4 lightbulbs in it!
(I've also attending college while living in the upper class.)
But what I see is middle class kids with unrealistic expectations about how money works, no concept of sacrificing wants for needs, and a refusal to live within their means.
It is possible for a high school graduate to work full time at $9/hour (walmart starting wage), live at home or be strictly frugal, save half their money, and in 4 years they have saved enough for 4 years of state college. They'll likely be eligible for additional grants starting as a non-traditional student which would leave more money available for housing costs.
It's possible for a child to start working as soon as it's legal (age 12 here, if working in a parent's business), invest all of the earnings. If that's done at the legal max hours during a school year (not extra hours in summmer) at minimum wage ($7.25/hour) from age 12 - 16, that ends up being $38,425. Enough to pay for 4 years in-state tuition at current tuition/fees.
The cost can also be made easier by accelerating children in elementary and middle school so they may take college classes while still in high school - with the school district paying the bill. It's possible for a high school student to graduate high school and get their Associates degree at the same time, thereby cutting the cost of undergrad tuition in half.
There are also institutions which offer tuition discounts for full time employees, and people have been known to use this to their advantage to get a degree tuition-free.
https://www.frugalwoods.com/2015/08/26/that-time-i-went-to-grad-school-for-free/My son is planning to use a combination of strategies. He will start working in family business next year, but he won't receive his paycheck. It will go straight into an investment account. He plans to take AP classes and college classes in high school, although he is unlikely to earn his Associates degree. After high school, he is planning to go to the nearest 2 year state college to finish his Associates degree at the lowest tuition prices in the state and while living at home. After that he intends to transfer to the state university of his choice, which happens to be in the same city where his grandparents live. He has already negotiated living with them in exchange for lawnmowing, snowblowing, etc. My son just turned 11 and has already figured out how to get his undergrad degree without any student debt or housing cost.
I would be curious what those students say is "not enough" money for food. My family can eat well on less than 1/4 of that the USDA says is a "thrifty" food plan for my family size and children's ages, but I'm usually more lazy than frugal and spend closer to 1/2 of what the USDA says is "thrifty".
https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/CostofFoodFeb2018.pdfPerhaps we've raised a generation of young adults who suffer from entitlement, lack of creativity, and lack of resourcefulness?
