Austin’s 27-acre Community First Village will eventually house 250 formerly homeless and disabled people. Can they build a real “hobo’s paradise”?
The new community will feature homes — RVs, tiny cabins, and teepees — for 250 formerly homeless for rent as low as $90.
Nate Schlueter, the director of the organization's ROADS Micro-Enterprise program, explained that paying your rent is the first rule of the community. Community First isn't just a "housing project," it's a "homing project," and central to that is the sense of real ownership the community will have by being financially responsible for their homes. But Mobile Loaves & Fishes will help the community find ways to pay that rent and earn extra money, through employment opportunities both on-site and off and help with applying for disability benefits.
Summer Anne Burton for BuzzFeed
