Austin's community of tiny homes for people transitioning out of homelessness celebrated a decade of operation Wednesday — and looked ahead to an expansion that will triple its initial footprint in Travis County.
Mobile Loaves and Fishes, the nonprofit that runs the Community First Village in eastern Travis County, said its plans to build as many as 50 additional tiny homes are on track as it enters its second decade.
Founder Alan Graham told a crowd of donors, elected officials and advocates Wednesday that he believes the planned development has inspired Austin and other cities to prioritize housing-focused solutions in addressing homelessness.
"Here we are, 10 years later, moving men and women who are experiencing chronic homelessness ... into permanent homes in a supportive community," he said. "And I will tell you that when we began this journey, people couldn't believe that it could coalesce and come together."
The Community First Village took root in East Travis County in 2015, setting up a plot of tiny homes and RVs on a 51-acre tract of land.
The village announced an ambitious expansion plan in 2021, after it acquired land off Hog Eye Road and a large plot off Burleson Road in South Austin. The nonprofit broke ground on the Hog Eye Road expansion in 2022. The celebration Wednesday included showing off a handful of new tiny homes, which range from 200 to 400 square feet.
Altogether, the nonprofit's planned developments will total 1,900 homes across 178 acres.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said the nonprofit's village exemplified a sense of community and "belonging" for people transitioning out of homelessness.
"Good things are happening in this town, and this place is the stake in the ground that started it," he said.
Watson's remarks came a day after Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan to clear out homeless encampments across Austin. That plan took the city by surprise as it rolled out a similar effort to clear out encampments and get people connected with services.
Graham said those services to get people stable and housed as they transition out of homelessness will continue to be crucial in the future.
"This is a mitigatable situation," he said. "We can make this happen and make this city — and this county — a beacon of hopefulness for what most believe is an intractable situation."
