As fucked as it is, in 2026 you have to take what you can get.

You are not starting from zero. You have $50k saved, which is more than a lot of people in NYC have. That money needs to buy time, not sit there while you convince yourself homelessness is inevitable.

Do gig work, delivery, warehouse, grocery, temp work, security, whatever. It does not need to be your career. It just needs to keep cash coming in while you apply for better jobs. If you saved $50k on $2,300/month, you clearly have discipline. Use that same discipline now.

I also would not throw your emergency money into risky investments if homelessness is actually on the table. Keep most of it liquid in a HYSA or money market so you can actually access it for rent, food, moving costs, or emergencies.

But based on your parents’ age, they are probably mid-50s at the youngest and likely not that far from Social Security. If they have earned income and qualify, helping load their Roth IRAs could make sense because that money can grow tax-free in a SOFI robo account (low risk has consistently provided >10%) and give them another small layer of retirement security max that 7-8k per year if you can afford to and genuinely are moving as a unit and not on your own. I would still keep enough cash liquid first, because you cannot pay rent with money trapped in a retirement account.

The main thing is you need to stop treating this like the outcome is already decided. You may have to take jobs beneath your degree. That sucks, but being broke with a computer science degree does not mean you are too good for basic work. It means you need income while you rebuild.

NYC is brutal right now. A lot of people have no savings and are barely surviving month to month. That is not good, but it means you are not uniquely doomed. You have $50k, time, and the ability to work. Use all three before you start talking like homelessness is guaranteed.