Beginning in November, fifty chronically homeless individuals in Dallas will each move into their own cottages, according to the city's Corporation for Supportive Housing. Situated in a complex, each cottage comes with green recreational space, solar energy, and rainwater collection – among other features.

The residents will also have access to skills training and mental and physical health services. 

Not only will the homeless individuals helped through this initiative get a fresh start, the program will also save taxpayers a significant amount of funds.

As the Dallas Morning News reports, a homeless person who cycles through the prison system and emergency health services on average costs the county about $40,000 a year. Keith Ackerman, executive director of Cottages at Hickory Crossing, told HuffPost that the program will bring down those costs to less than $13,000 per year.

That equates to about $1.3 million in total savings for taxpayers.

The drastic figures are nothing new: Programs focused on giving those without homes "housing first", and then addressing their health and unemployment issues, have proven many times to be efficient and cost-effective. 

For example, a similar housing initiative in Charlotte saved the city $2.4 million in medical costs alone. The non-profit Moore Place houses homeless individuals in its 85-unit complex and also provides each client with a team of social workers, therapists, nurses and psychologists to help them thrive long-term.