Austin Community First! Village

Overview

The Community First Village is a 225-resident tiny home village and RV park located just outside Austin, Texas city limits that opened in 2015 to house formerly homeless residents.

Context:

The village is the brainchild of founder Alan Graham, who spent years serving the city’s homeless before pooling $18 million in privately donated funds to construct Community First in 2015 (source).
Over 7,000 individuals experienced homelessness in 2018. The 2019 Point in Time Count showed that there were 2,255 individuals experiencing homelessness in Travis County on a single day (source).

Mission: Provide a community-first approach — a spinoff of the housing-first term— to create a sense of community among formerly homeless residents.

Gallery

Site

Owner: The 27-acre site was purchased by Mobile Loaves & Fishes.

Previous Use: Vacant ranch land.

Use Arrangement: Fee simple ownership by the operating nonprofit. The homes are then leased to the residents at a rate of $225-$500/month.

Site Selection Criteria Considerations: Located on the outskirts of Austin, just beyond city limits but still accessible to municipal utilities – sewer, water, electrical.

Funding

Upfront Development*	$18 million(including land, site work, & housing units)	100% philanthropic donations, no government funding. Some of the tiny homes were donated.
Cost Per Bed*	$80k	225 beds in total
Operating Costs*	$4.8 million/year	To cover MLF management and operating expenses, 75% of funding comes from philanthropy, 25% comes from the on-site residents paying rent ($225-$500/home/month)Third-party case management services (detail in Operations) are not funded by MLF, outside scope of operating budget
Cost Per Bed*	$21k/year	$58/bed/night

*approximations

Development

Lead Deal Coordinator		Mobile Loaves & Fishes
Community Engagement		Mobile Loaves & Fishes
Construction Management		Mobile Loaves & Fishes
Shelter Vendor / Manufacturer	Variety, some notable shelters include:
On-Site Assembly	Private Contractors	Including the construction of the road and utility work

Operations

Operator	Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF), a Christian nonprofit organization, is a social outreach ministry that has been empowering communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless since 1998.https://mlf.org/
Agreement	MLF owns the land and operates all on-site facilities.
Staffing	60 full-time staff Shelter Manager Program Supervisor Logistic Coordinators Case Managers Security Janitorial Back-end Admin
Services Provided	MLF provides wraparound services, an outdoor movie theater, community garden and market, and a medical facility where health screenings are offered. The assistance here includes “micro-enterprise opportunities,” meaning jobs on site in gardening, woodworking, car care and more. County provides 10 care staff.
Cost	~$58/bed/night operating costs
Operating Expenses	On-Site Personnel Maintenance Client Services, meals