Community First, the tiny-home village that has changed the way many Austinites think about homelessness, is expanding. Mobile Loaves and Fishes, the nonprofit organization that founded and operates the master-planned community for unhoused local residents, recently broke ground on a 127-acre addition.
The expansion will result in about 1,400 new homes for unhoused people across the metro.
About 400 people live in the 51-acre Community First Village, most of them in the community's tiny homes — many designed and built by well-known local architecture and construction companies — and recreational vehicles. Residents share community facilities including bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and gathering spaces. There are also cultural and professional development areas , gardens, and trails.
The development will be expanded in phases. Next on deck is phase 3: the development of 51 more acres adjacent to the current community. After that, the group will develop 76 acres of residential and community space off Burleson Road in Southeast Austin, next to a new 100-unit supportive housing project from Foundation Communities.
