All good points, Val. To which I would add - if you're cutting out the bottom of Maslow's pyramid, it's pretty hard to get to the top. Because food and shelter are necessary for survival. Even if you're scraping by through couch surfing and ramen noodles, that's going to have a negative impact on everything else you do.

It's hard to call "eating out" an unnecessary expense when you're homeless, because where are you supposed to go to dine in?