I think choosing to cut back on expenses and income to the point of living below the poverty line is radical and using government assistance to that end doesn't seem like something also commonly considered to be an option for doing so.

Radical or not, it's what I'm doing and I know very few people who do this. It sure seems radical to me because people seeking to stop using money is something I see something noted in the mainstream as radical. If what I'm describing is mainstream living and mainstream usage of government assistance, would you point me to where to find the rest of the people doing this? I could really benefit from more community support around such endeavors.