Community First! Village bills itself as “the country’s only master-planned development designed specifically for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness,” with nearly 350 people living in the 51-acre enclave of tiny homes, micro-homes, and RVs just outside Austin, Texas. Former real estate developer Alan Graham launched the faith-based social outreach ministry Mobile Loaves & Fishes in 1998 and started the village by helping one homeless man move into an RV. By 2012, he secured 27 acres of land for the first phase. Now a $36.6 million grant from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation will anchor plans to create an additional 1,400 homes through a $150 million capital campaign. The village generated $1.2 million last year through micro-businesses, and rent and utilities (ranging from $380 to $440 monthly) are scaled to let homeless people transition to village life. The village has a health clinic, small food store, gathering space, weekly farmers market where locally-grown food is distributed, and an outdoor amphitheater for movie screenings.

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