Bad accountant

Parts of the, per person, monthly budget for the homeless woman and her daughter follow.

Phone: $112
Food: $450

Here's my relevant budget in Canada, in US dollars, for comparison.

Phone: $34
Food: $230

Note that Canada has, on average, higher prices! One of the constant things I hear about people who travel to the US for family visits, conferences, and vacations is: the food is so cheap! Yet, here we have a woman in America who burns over 50% of her take-home pay on food and phones and then has a total of, maybe, $100 for rent. No wonder, she doesn't have a proper roof.