Austin Community First! Village

Overview

The Community First Village is a 400-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: To empower communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless. To provide food and clothing, cultivate community, and promote dignity to our homeless brothers and sisters in need.

Gallery

Site

Owner: The 27-acre site is owned by Mobile Loaves & Fishes.

Previous Use: Vacant ranch land.

Use Arrangement: Mobile Loaves & Fishes leases homes to neighbors who have experienced chronic homelessness in Austin and surrounding area. Residents rent ranges from $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 Neighbor*	$45k/Neighbor	400 beds in total
Operating Costs*	$20 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 Neighbor*	$30k/year	$82/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 at Community First! Village.
Staffing	123 full-time staff (ops and program staff) Shelter Manager Program Supervisor Logistic Coordinators Case Managers Security Janitorial Back-end Admin
Services Provided	MLF provides a supportive community including move-in assistance, shared community spaces, neighbor engagement services, access to service partners, and dignified income opportunities. The assistance here includes “micro-enterprise opportunities,” meaning jobs on site in gardening, woodworking, car care and more. County provides 10 care staff.
Cost	~$30k/neighbor/year operating costs
Operating Expenses	On-Site Personnel Maintenance Client Services, meals