Agree she needs to get a job and pursue her colleged education as a hobby.
Her priorities are screwed up and others are paying for it.
Food Stamps are their to bridge the gap for those put in circumstances beyone their control untill they can get back up on their feet.
I re-read the story. You know, she might be crazy. I've been in and around the arts thing in NYC for decades and have only heard of one or two cases of this. The vast majority (99.999%) of people who don't have family money work bad jobs before they make it.