Over the course of a year, tens of thousands of Hoosiers experience homelessness. They are men, women and children who are experiencing a disaster that's often beyond their control. They include those have lost their jobs through a changing economy, and people living paycheck to paycheck who suddenly face an insurmountable unexpected expense and are made homeless as a result. Some are victims of domestic violence. Others are battling to overcome mental illness.

• At least 17 emergency shelters in Indiana have closed in the last three years due to lack of funds.

• 240,000 low-income Hoosier households pay rents they can't afford.

• 158,000 Hoosier households have unaffordable mortgages.

Affordable Rental Housing: Keeping Families Stable

Like all disasters, homelessness is often an overwhelming wave of problems that aren't easily or immediately solved. For some, supportive housing that includes onsite counseling, job training and other assistance programs may be necessary to provide a decent living environment and a platform for returning to self-sufficiency. For others, finding an affordable apartment is a critical first step in obtaining a job and earning all the benefits that go with it.

Affordable rental housing does more than just give the homeless a decent chance for a better life. It also reduces public expenditures for emergency housing or institutional settings by providing stable living situations for homeless people and those with special needs--and their children, too.

Solutions and Cost Savings

• Providing affordable rental housing may take the form of direct rental assistance or development subsidy. It may also include supportive services to help families stabilize and move toward self-sufficiency.

• Safe, quality housing helps keep children from being removed from their families and placed in foster care. Providing permanent housing and supportive services for the 650 Indiana children removed from their homes due to inadequate housing would cost $8.7 million -- $22 million less than it would cost to keep them in the foster care system.

• Stable, affordable housing reduces transient student populations and dropout rates. Based on a study of dropout rates conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, Indiana children who change schools more than three times before eighth grade are nearly 2.5 times more likely to drop out than those who are less transient. In Missouri, each dropout costs the state $4,000 a year for the rest of their lives in increased incarceration and social services costs.