The way it sounds, you have three options here. Keep going to school and eat the debt, stop going to school until you establish residency, or return to California. I’d think about the third. Under California state law (AB540, specifically), going to high school in California for 3 or more years and graduating in California qualifies you to pay in state tuition, regardless of whether or not you are a resident. If you have other family to stay with in California, going to a California community college and transferring to a UC or CSU may be an economical option.