It’s heartwarming to see the family unity — they’d rather pay their cellphone bills than their utility bills.

Way to cut the cord, team!

If the OP is unemployed and looking for work, it makes sense that they prioritise their phone bill over utilities. It's hard to get a call from a potential employer without an active phone number. If they have a gym membership, co-op gas card or something like that they can shower there, or go to a pool and shower until they get back on their feet.