Forum Post: a way to prevent homelessness

So many of us live 'paycheck to paycheck' and are at risk of losing our homes (whether we rent or make mortgage payments) if an unexpected event makes things tight for a month or two. Some of us are lucky enough to have awesome friends / family who would serve as a short-term financial buffer (and, of course, we would do the same for them). That kind of caring social network is a huge part of what makes the world work and keeps things stable. But, not everyone's lucky enough to have that kind of safety net. So, what if we created something along the same lines but more formal and on a much bigger scale, creating a non-profit housing stability co-op that can make a small interest-free loans to its members in case of emergency? Everyone would have to pay in a little bit to the fund, kind of like insurance except non-profit and managed by its members - in other words, not evil. Maybe the amount people put in should be dependent on their income. Maybe it could also be a registered charity and provide grants rather than loans in some situations, if possible. Since I'm someone with basically zero free time I knew there was no way I'd be able to find the time to organize something like this on my lonesome. So I figured I'd toss the idea out there. Since it's based on the way caring social networks that aren't struggling too much normally interact, one could start pretty small and let it grow gradually. Anyone think they might give it a try? If the idea interests you, please feel free to re-post, modify, and otherwise make it your own.