(I just wrote what's below, and reread your post and it said without help from others. I'm not sure if it's because you don't have the help of others or your not comfortable taking the help from others. Some of what I wrote does include finding help from others. It's hard but survival sometimes necessitates it. I know. I've always been extremely independent. Worked as a child to pay for things. I cried when I had to apply for food stamps . It was so humbling. Accepting help from others was hard and still isn't easy the times it comes my way, yet I'm so grateful for it.)
I lost some of what I wrote so I hope this isn't too disjointed as I try to rewrite those parts.
Andy, I'm so sorry. This illness is so hard to begin with and then to not have enough money to eat or afford a place to live on top of it. Here's a little of what I went through if it may be of help with some suggestions and ideas for you below.
Being in a new city, sick, deathly allergic to cats (which everyone I knew had), and a family who didn't believe I was sick and thought helping me would be enabling me, I went through several years not sure how long I was going to be able to stay housed. I remember looking at abandoned houses and buildings when I was on the bus and making a note of them, that it might be a possibility of a place to live. I wouldn't be able to stay in homeless shelters due to the extent of my health and abilities, if they even had room for the night, and most of them you had to be out in the morning . Sometimes if I had enough energy, I would go to homeless dinners.
I'm not sure where you live or how much health you have. I'm not sure what programs they have to help with housing, cost of things, food or disability where you are or if you can get some where they have more. If you say what country you live in, state and the city if you are comfortable, people here might be able to point you to resources and ideas in your area.
I had charge cards initially while I fought 7 years for my disability. I kept making minimum payments and kept taking money out of them and increasing my credit line so I could live. I lived like a pauper to stretch it as long as I could. I was thinking I'd be able to go back to work at some point and pay them off, or my disability back pay would cover it. After that, mainly "the kindness of strangers" (thankfully) helped me minimally to keep me housed (in a room in a building with shared bathrooms ) until my disability came through. (I'm still there now.) Amazingly most of the people that have helped as they could were barely surviving themselves.
I know a lady with ME/CFS that lives in a trailer with her boyfriend on the streets. Some people with vehicles were living in Walmart parking lots or out in the desert. Ideas I've thought about . Some cities have programs where you can live with older people. What would be expected of you and cost could be worked out. Maybe someone only needs someone there for safety reasons and in exchange you can not pay rent.
Someone also recommended back then for me to go to support groups if I could, when I could. Even groups like the various Anonymous groups (AA, Coda...), because people there would most likely understand the predicament I'm in, have empathy, and possibly could help me out.
Are there social workers where you live? They could help with some resources. I know they might not be able to do much. At the least I would hope they could help you get food and on any housing waiting lists, help applying for disability, and possibly some monthly money until you can get disability. We can fall through the cracks with ME/CFS, having other things going on can get you more help some times. Hopefully, there's help for you where you are at.
If you can get some kind of minimal money, maybe you can share a room or a studio with someone until your disability comes through. I'm not sure how your health is and if that would work for you to hold you over.
I hate that you are going through this. I wish I had a yard and ideally a house and money so I could help you and others. I hope some of this and the suggestions and experiences of others here may help you, and that you'll find good housing and be able to get help with food. My thoughts are with you. I wish I could do more.
One more thought just came to me, I'm not sure if you are in the U.S. Someone on our forum posted a while back that he had some land if anyone wanted to stay there. I think it was in the New England area.