You may want to look into deferring or forbearing your student loans [1], at least until you're back on your feet.
> my $100k tech job didn't come with retirement benefits
Next time around, consider a SEP-IRA [2]. In the meantime, contact a local NGO about subsidized healthcare, food, education and job-training and placement programs.
Also, don't be embarrassed asking for charity. When I started my first company, I took a gamble and skipped out on health insurance. A few months of sleep deprivation later, I'm in the hospital with pneumonia. Huge bill. Wrote a letter to the hospital board asking for a deferral; they wrote down the bill to pennies on the dollar.
[1] https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/deferment-forbearan...
[2] https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-sponsor/simplified...