In 2021, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation pledged $36.6 million to help expand Community First! Village. This master-planned neighbourhood in Austin is designed to provide permanent housing and a supportive community for people exiting homelessness. The foundation’s commitment was part of a larger capital campaign to add 1,400 homes for Central Texans experiencing chronic homelessness.The expansion is now underway, with infrastructure work beginning in 2023 across two new properties along Hog Eye Road and Burleson Road. Together, the properties add 127 acres to the existing site and are expected to take the total size of Community First! Village to 178 acres when fully developed.
Community First Village expansion
Community First Village currently provides housing and community support to more than 470 formerly homeless residents. Once the expansion is complete, the neighbourhood is planned to accommodate up to 1,900 people, alongside neighbourhood support buildings and shared community spaces.The expansion is part of Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ broader effort to provide affordable, permanent housing in a supportive environment. The organisation says providing a permanent home and community can help mitigate homelessness among people who need long-term support.
$36.6 million commitment from Dell Foundation
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation announced its $36.6 million commitment in September 2021 as part of the “Multiplying Goodness” capital campaign. The campaign is intended to fund the additional 1,400 homes planned for Central Texans coming out of chronic homelessness.The foundation’s contribution came alongside public funding. In September 2021, Travis County earmarked $35 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the Burleson expansion. The overall development is estimated to cost about $225 million, and the foundation is calling on the wider community to help match its contribution.
How the new neighbourhoods will work
The expansion uses an architectural approach developed by Mobile Loaves & Fishes called “Neighborhoods of Knowingness”. It groups a mix of home models into pockets of around 40 to 50 homes, with each group organised around a communal area and shared facilities.These spaces can include outdoor kitchens and combined laundry, restroom and shower facilities, creating smaller communities within the larger neighbourhood and giving residents more opportunities to interact.From 470 residents to 1,900 homesCommunity First Village currently occupies land on both Hog Eye Road and Burleson Road in Travis County. The two expansion properties will add 127 acres, providing space for 1,400 more homes.Once fully developed, the Village is planned to have 1,900 homes and neighbourhood support buildings across 178 acres. The project is intended to extend the Village’s existing model of permanent housing and community support to more people leaving chronic homelessness.
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