1. home and garden

Community First!
Village
Frequently Asked Questions
Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ Community First! Village is an exciting new concept in
providing supportive, affordable and sustainable housing to the chronically
homeless, based in a loving and hospitable environment with amenities to improve quality of life.
Community First! is a faith-based mission open to people of all faiths.
The Village will include site-built Park Homes, RV Homes and permanent guest cottages. The Village will
also include a community center, chapel, operations shop and yard, and pavilions.
 Where will the Community First! Village be located?
Mobile Loaves & Fishes has acquired a beautiful 27 acre site that will provide a tranquil, naturefilled placed to build the Community First! Village. It is located in Eastern Travis County close to
the Exposition Center. The site is eight miles from downtown Austin with easy access by public
transportation. Address is 9301 Hog Eye Rd. Austin, Texas 78724.

Will there be on-site management in the Community First! Village?
There will be at least two full-time on-site managers in the Community First! Village. There will be the
overall property manager or spiritual director in charge of all aspects of management particularly building
a sense of community with an emphasis on spiritual life. The other will be responsible for the day-to-day
property management aspects of the community: collecting rent, maintenance, security, etc.
Additionally, there will be full time on-site maintenance personnel.

What kind of rules will the Community First! Village have?
There are three community covenants that will guide all operations;
1. Everyone must pay rent on time,
2. Everyone must be obedient to civil law, and
3. There will be additional rules of the community not unlike a homeowners association that all must
comply with.

How are you going to handle security?
The Community First! Village will be managed by a community council of inhabitants and stakeholders.
To live in any community one must obey civil laws as well as rules and regulations of the community. This
community will be no different. This will be a gated community with entry available only to inhabitants
and their REGISTERED invited guests. Video surveillance equipment (cameras) will be placed throughout
the village in strategic locations such as the front gate and in community gathering areas. A Neighborhood
Watch Program will be developed and we will work closely with law enforcement to develop a strong
community policing presence. As occupancy increases we will stay actively vigilant with regard to the
need for additional security. A civil, secure, peaceful environment will be paramount.
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
Who is eligible to live in the Community First! Village?
To be eligible, an individual must be chronically homeless as defined in the City of Austin’s Ten Year Plan
to End Chronic Homelessness.
“A person who is ‘chronically homeless’ is an unaccompanied homeless individual with a
disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more, or has
had at least four (4) episodes of homelessness in the past three (3) years. In order to be
considered chronically homeless, a person must have been sleeping in a place not meant
for human habitation (e.g., living on the streets) and/or in an emergency homeless shelter.
A disabling condition is defined as: diagnosable substance use disorder, serious mental
illness, developmental disability, chronic physical illness, or disability including the cooccurrence of two or more of these conditions. A disabling condition limits an individual’s
ability to work or perform one or more activities of daily living.”
All potential inhabitants will be required to complete the Coordinated Assessment Intake, be fingerprinted
and submit to a criminal background check processed by the FBI. To ensure that Community First! is
addressing the problem of chronic homelessness in Austin, we will require potential residents to show
proof of homeless dwelling for at least one year within the Austin metropolitan area.

Would a potential inhabitant need to be free of drug and alcohol addictions to qualify?
The Community First! Village is being developed on the Housing First! model. Housing First! believes that
an individual must first be adequately housed before important, lifesaving services such as drug and
alcohol rehabilitation would be effective. Mobile Loaves & Fishes – the staff and volunteers, the church
community, the social services community, and the inhabitants – are going all the way to “Community
First!”. We are not just providing “adequate housing”. We are developing a community with
revolutionary services and attention to needs at a fraction of the cost of traditional housing initiatives. The
emphasis is on dignity, love, respect, abundance, and acceptance. It is based on Scripture’s meaning of
“shalom”. Shalom describes a human at peace in all relationships: with God, oneself, other people, and
the natural world.1
To go through rehab and other vital services only to be released back onto the streets is
counterproductive. Please remember that the possession and distribution of controlled substances is
against the law. We expect everyone living in our community to abide by the law. According to the U.S.
Conference of Mayors’ Annual Report on Hunger and Homeless, 2006, 74% of the homeless surveyed
are not substance abusers.

Will people with criminal records be allowed to live in the Community First! Village?
As stated earlier each potential community inhabitant will be required to complete the Coordinated
Assessment intake, be fingerprinted and submit to a criminal background check processed by the FBI.
Then, on a case-by-case basis the applicant will be reviewed by qualified personnel for their compatibility
with the Community First! Village and the community at large. Registered Sex Offenders are the only
strictly prohibited offenders.
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
What services will be available to those living in the Community First! Village?
There will be a broad range of services available to village inhabitants. There will be two full time case
managers who will be the gateway for each inhabitant to community life in the village. The case managers
will be responsible for intake and assessment and ensuring inhabitants are aware of the services available
to them within the village community. Additionally, there will be a state-of-the-art food pantry on site to
provide nutritious food to inhabitants who are on extremely limited incomes.
All of the support services we offer are provided free to the inhabitant and are all self-funding with
minimum expense to Mobile Loaves & Fishes. Some of the services we provide are:
Genesis Gardens -- utilizes sustainable agriculture to support, equip and empower our brothers and
sisters in need
ROADS (Relationships & Opportunities Allowing for Dignity and Security) -- a service-oriented program
helping our homeless brothers and sisters in need lift themselves up through relationships and microenterprise opportunities. We desire to serve as the road, or straight way, on which our homeless brothers
and sisters have the opportunity to navigate out of desert wastelands and into community and the sense
of home.
HealthFirst! -- addresses primary healthcare needs of the inhabitants of Community First! while,
simultaneously, revealing and addressing the root causes of their medical problems
New Life Institute -- a nonprofit counseling and training organization, dedicated to changing lives by
providing professional services to those in emotional or spiritual need regardless of ability to pay. Their
services include: counseling, support services for anger management, relationship management,
mediation, alcohol and drug recovery management, living with a mental health diagnosis, etc.
See our web site (www.mlf.org ) for more details of these services.

Is this transitional housing?
This is permanent housing. It is intended that those who qualify can live here permanently providing they
pay their rent and abide by civil law and the rules of the community.

Will Austin become a magnet for the chronically homeless?
We would like to see the Community First! Village become an example nationwide, not a magnet. We will
require potential inhabitants to show proof of homeless dwelling for at least one year within the Austin
metropolitan area. This is to assure that Community First! accomplishes its goal of addressing Austin’s
problem of chronic homelessness.

How much will it cost to live in the Community First! Village?
We estimate living in a Park Homes or RV Home will cost $210 to $400 per month including water, a fixed
amount of electricity, cable and Internet service. For those living in our guest cottages, we are estimating
$120 - $200 per month which would include use of the restroom/shower facilities, outdoor kitchen
facilities and safety and security on site.

How many people can live in a RV home or Park home?
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One, unless an established domestic couple or married, then two. The floor plans of these units are
designed for a couple or one single individual.

Can homeless people live independently like this?
For nearly a decade Mobile Loaves & Fishes has been lifting homeless people off the streets of Austin into
permanent, affordable and sustainable RV homes. To date, we have over 45 people living in 40 RV homes
in 6 RV communities in the Austin area. 86% of our original residents continue to live independently and
successfully in their homes.

Since you are a faith-based organization will it be a requirement to participate in any faith life of
the community?
Although Mobile Loaves & Fishes is a Christian faith-based organization, our first priority is the dignity of
the human person. Also, we have made a commitment as part of our privilege of having tax exempt
status to not discriminate against anyone. We have a deep abiding respect for all faiths and welcome all
into our community; both inhabitants and those who wish to serve our inhabitants. There will be a
spiritual life within the community but no requirement to participate.

How do I apply to live in Community First! Village?
Mobile Loaves & Fishes is now participating in Coordinated Assessment to apply for Community First!. If
you’ve already completed the Coordinated Assessment intake through another agency, you do not need
to do it again. We will have access to your information also. Coordinated Assessment is a chance for you
to let multiple programs in the community know that you would like some help finding housing. To
complete the Coordinated Assessment, staff are generally available at Front Steps (the ARCH) Sun,
Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri, and Sat 8:30am to 6pm, and Tues 8:30am to 12pm. Front Steps is located
downtown at 500 E 7th Street, Austin, TX 78701. Assessment staff can also be reached through the
Caritas of Austin Client Intake Line at 512-472-4135 Mon - Thurs 8am - 4pm, Tues 8am - 6pm, and Fri 810am. Please note that due to high call volume, Caritas is only able to assess households experiencing
homelessness and veteran households at this time. Remember, there are no guarantees and no
timelines. Coordinated Assessment is just one step in your housing search. Do not stop here! If a
program has an opening for which you qualify, they will attempt to contact you directly. Be absolutely
sure you have some way for us to reach you. There is no need to contact assessment staff again unless
you need to update your contact information (such as a phone number change or a new case
manager). It is important for you to continue accessing every opportunity you possibly can. Be prepared
to discuss what you have tried recently to get yourself into housing. What has worked in the past?
What hasn't worked? What are your greatest resources that could help you get into housing? Keep a
journal, if possible. If you are in case management with a program now, continue to work with your case
worker on your housing goals. Many programs in the community do not participate in this process yet.
As part of Coordinated Assessment, staff will provide you with a list of external resources that you can
try to access on your own or with your case manager. If you have questions about applying, you may
contact Blythe Plunkett at [email protected].
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