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<h1>Tiny House Village to Shelter the Homeless in Texas</h1>
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<span>This article originally appeared on <a href="http://www.shareable.net/blog/austin-to-shelter-homeless-in-a-tiny-house-village" style="height: 1.7em;">Shareable</a>.</span>

In Austin, Texas, a project to offer affordable housing to some 200 chronically homeless citizens is on the move. <a href="http://mlf.org/community-first/">Community First! Village</a>, which has been in the planning stages for nearly 10 years, is set to soon break ground on a 27-acre property sprinkled with tiny houses, mobile homes, teepees, refurbished RVs, a three-acre community garden, a chapel, a medical facility, a workshop, a bed and breakfast, and an <a href="http://drafthouse.com/">Alamo Drafthouse</a> outdoor movie theater.
<blockquote>Graham views Community First! as the next step toward solving homelessness.</blockquote>
Supporter Alan Graham, of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, notes that the price of not housing these folks costs taxpayers about $10 million a year, not to mention the emotional and psychological tolls on the homeless themselves.

Graham says that, for the most part, local residents seem to be in favor of the project. "We haven't converted everybody," he says, "but when people come out here they go, 'Oh!' They see a chapel, they see medical and vocational services on site, and they learn that residents will not live there for free. They'll pay a monthly rent."

<img src="http://www.shareable.net/sites/default/files/styles/blog-header-large/public/blog/top-image/1-cottage.jpg?itok=HrUEyKxl">

Graham has been working with the homeless in his community for more than 14 years and cites broken families as the leading cause of homelessness. With Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Graham has not only helped feed the homeless all these years, but he has helped transition them into homes and jobs as well.

And he has given them hope. Graham views Community First! as the next step in that mission and the next step toward solving homelessness in the U.S.

As the <a href="http://kut.org/post/heres-what-austins-newest-housing-chronically-homeless-looks">local NPR station (KUT) reports</a>, Alamo Drafthouse's founder Tim League is another outspoken cheerleader for Community First! Village. In fact, he calls it "the very first 'Yes, in my backyard' project."

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<!--<img src="28616949869141db9e0f90b87a90c582">Kelly McCartney wrote this article for <a href="http://http//www.shareable.net/blog/austin-to-shelter-homeless-in-a-tiny-house-village">Shareable</a>, where it originally appeared. Kelly is&#160;<span style="height: normal;">a lover of&#160;creative solutions, progressive thought,&#160;nutritional healing, indie music, comparative religions, wandering, and wondering. She is also an advocate for social and economic justice, tolerance, sustainable living, food security, ocean preservation, community building, and human rights.</span>

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&#13;&#13;  --><!-- <a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/love-and-the-apocalypse/this-guy-moved-into-his-parents2019-house-so-a-homeless-family-could-live-in-his">This Guy Moved Into His Parent's House so &#160;a Homeless Family Could Live in His</a> --><!-- <a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/making-it-home/real-homes-small-frugal-and-green">Real Homes: Small, Frugal, and Green</a> --><!-- <a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/making-it-home/homeless-protesters-fight-for-recognition">Street Credibility: Homeless Protesters Fight for Recognition</a> -->
<p>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org">Yes! Magazine</a> at <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/2013/12/17/tiny-house-village-to-shelter-the-homeless-in-texas">https://www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/2013/12/17/tiny-house-village-to-shelter-the-homeless-in-texas</a>.</p><link href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/2013/12/17/tiny-house-village-to-shelter-the-homeless-in-texas" rel="canonical"/><p>Yes! Magazine is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of ... . Learn more at <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org">Yes! Magazine</a></p><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://www.yesmagazine.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=14471&ga4=G-74QJNNY44Z" style="width:1px;height:1px;">

Tiny House Village to Shelter the Homeless in Texas

This article originally appeared on Shareable.

In Austin, Texas, a project to offer affordable housing to some 200 chronically homeless citizens is on the move. Community First! Village, which has been in the planning stages for nearly 10 years, is set to soon break ground on a 27-acre property sprinkled with tiny houses, mobile homes, teepees, refurbished RVs, a three-acre community garden, a chapel, a medical facility, a workshop, a bed and breakfast, and an Alamo Drafthouse outdoor movie theater.
Graham views Community First! as the next step toward solving homelessness.
Supporter Alan Graham, of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, notes that the price of not housing these folks costs taxpayers about $10 million a year, not to mention the emotional and psychological tolls on the homeless themselves.

Graham says that, for the most part, local residents seem to be in favor of the project. "We haven't converted everybody," he says, "but when people come out here they go, 'Oh!' They see a chapel, they see medical and vocational services on site, and they learn that residents will not live there for free. They'll pay a monthly rent."

Graham has been working with the homeless in his community for more than 14 years and cites broken families as the leading cause of homelessness. With Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Graham has not only helped feed the homeless all these years, but he has helped transition them into homes and jobs as well.

And he has given them hope. Graham views Community First! as the next step in that mission and the next step toward solving homelessness in the U.S.

As the local NPR station (KUT) reports, Alamo Drafthouse's founder Tim League is another outspoken cheerleader for Community First! Village. In fact, he calls it "the very first 'Yes, in my backyard' project."

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