Every day, the Day Center of Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis receives 20 calls from families that staff has to turn away because the shelter program is at maximum capacity. Other family shelters in Central Indiana share similar call rates. Staff and volunteers record each family turned away with a tally mark on a sheet at the reception desk.

Every one of those families has at least one child. Some are sleeping in a car. Some are couch-surfing with family or friends, moving frequently. Others are depleting their little savings at weekly stay motels. Some families we helped reported riding the IndyGo bus until it makes its last stop, then are literally on the street or in campgrounds.

These families are often hidden from our view. This year, more than 2.5 million children in the United States will experience homelessness. Homelessness increases the likelihood that families will separate or dissolve. It increases the probability that children will fall behind in school, eventually dropping out. As the gap between housing costs and income continues to widen, more and more families are at risk of falling off this figurative cliff.