Something similar happened to me, in that I was on my own at 15. I wasn't able to get a part-time job, so I ended up working full time. This was in a semi-rural area, and I wasn't sure how to move to the city at the time, as being a minor complicated things. There weren't any stations or anything else open at night to study in either, at least that didn't kick you out for loitering. There weren't any STEM type schools in my area and normal high schools couldn't accommodate my work schedule. I went to one of those 'alternative' programs, where the highest math class offered was geometry. I ended up joining the military, stayed in about five years longer than I intended, and am going to a community college now. I hope I can get accepted into a nice school someday. I'd love to meet this kid, he seems awesome.
Something tells me this is in an area where "Horrible conditions at the Cobra pit" isn't at the top of the list of worries people have.