American society is set up around spending money - since it was rebuilt around car travel in the 20th century, simply meeting up with your friends often requires a fair amount of money and time and public spaces have been steadily curtailed or made less pleasant to try to discourage homeless people from using them. If you live in a dense urban area, yes, you can probably walk, bike, or take the bus to a park or library but if you live in many suburbs that option either doesn’t exist or means an hour trip each way with nothing else to do nearby.