The missing part of your story is why a competent person became quite poor and homeless.
But since your prejudice is the norm, most people here will agree with you.
A. I was a homemaker who got divorced. This is such a significant issue, there are actually programs to rehabilitate former homemakers, something I didn't know until recently.
B. In the US, most poor people are women (and their children) who were solidly middle class until they got divorced, widowed or unexpectedly pregnant.
C. I have a serious medical condition. This is a frequent cause of financial ruin in the US.
I actually chose to go sleep in a tent to get healthier and I vastly underestimated how much classism and sexism would be a barrier to readily returning to a middle class lifestyle. Sleeping in a tent to get healthier was very successful, which reinforces my self perception that I'm very competent since the world tells me "people like you don't get well."