Millions of Americans cannot afford a $400 emergency expense. Millions more live paycheck-to-paycheck. These are good, hard-working people. They pay their taxes, keep up on their bills, and do everything right - but at the end of the month, they're lucky if they have a positive balance in their bank account.

Then, one day, their kid breaks a leg. They get a parking ticket. Maybe their car breaks down. Whatever happens - that's it. That's when they've fallen over The Precipice, into poverty or homelessness, all over a few hundred dollars.

A few hundred dollars might not sound like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but for nearly half of Americans, it can mean that they don't make rent that month, or they can't afford to fix their car, or any number of life-changing crises. When what should be a minor hurdle occurs, more than half of Americans are at risk of losing their job, their home; everything.

Maybe they're "fortunate" enough to have credit cards or a payday loan service available to them... but interest and fees are just another expense that they already can't afford. These costs compound over time. They may use one line of credit to pay off another, until the fees are finally too much, and they begin to miss payments. Then it's only a matter of time. Say for example, that they use a payday loan this paycheck. Their next paycheck goes to paying it off, so they'll need another... And another... And if they could just barely get by before, they certainly can't afford the 390% - 780% APR that's charged for payday loans, so eventually they need to borrow more than they can pay back, just to pay off the previous loan plus fees and interest.

These good, hard-working, honest people, will become our nation's homeless population - unless we do something about it.

This isn't because they're lazy, or because they're dumb. It's not because they're bad people. They were simply unlucky. These people - the foundation upon which our society rests - need your help.

"The Precipice" is a term we use to describe the situation they find themselves in, just after something goes wrong and they're hit with an unexpected bill, but just before they fall over the edge and lose everything. This is the critical moment, in which a small amount of assistance can save not only a family's future, but your tax dollars, too! Just imagine how much of our taxpayer-dollars, not to mention dignity and livelihood, could be saved if homelessness could be prevented rather than forcing people to rely on social programs for food and shelter while also trying to get back on their feet. The Precipice Foundation (a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity) steps in to help at this critical moment.