People did live in poverty, and managed to get by, in the past. They managed by having members of their communities help them. However, now, the amount of people who want the help is greater than it’s been in a very long time, possibly greater than it has ever been. There simply won’t be enough to go around. People will want to be supported in kollel, but there won’t be people to pay for the support.
The Gemara in Kiddushin says a father is obligated to teach his son a trade. In a kesubah, it says the husband will feed and clothe his wife, not the other way around.
The way it should work is that the majority of people should be working, of course with sedarim in the morning or evenings (or both). A select group will sit and learn all day, and be supported fully. Not the small amount that a standard kollel pays, but the amount which a regular job would pay. That is the real Yissachar/Zevulun partnership, which is missing today. A person like that is fulfilling his kesubah, as with his learning, he is supporting his wife, not the other way around.