To be eligible to live in Community First! Village, you must:
Be chronically homeless
Chronic Homelessness is defined as living in a place not meant for human habitation, a safe haven, or an emergency shelter for at least 12 months (or at least 4 separate occasions in the last 3 years, as long as the combined occasions equal at least 12 months) and having at least one disability.
Have a verifiable source of income
Can be in the form of benefits the applicant receives (i.e SSI, SSDI, retirement, VA benefits etc.), employment or a funding source for at least one year (i.e. a PSH or RRH program). Funding organizations must commit to help the neighbor cover daily expenses and connect them with a sustainable source of income.
Be over the age of 18
Applicants must be able to show proof of age (valid driver’s license, state ID, military ID, etc.).
Have been in the Austin area for at least the past year
“Austin area” includes Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop counties.
Meet CFV criminal history requirements:
- Applicants on the Sex Offender Registry will be automatically denied.
- Mobile Loaves & Fishes reserves the right to disqualify someone who has a conviction during our specified look back periods. See our chart.
- Applicants will be automatically denied if they have been issued a Criminal Trespassing Warrant (CTW) for Community First! Village.
- MLF reserves the right to disqualify someone who has repeatedly broken our community policies. This includes, but is not limited to, violating our overnight guest policy or engaging in criminal activity on site.
To be eligible to live at Community First! Village, you must:
Be chronically homeless
Chronic Homelessness is defined as living in a place not meant for human habitation, a safe haven, or an emergency shelter for at least 12 months (or at least 4 separate occasions in the last 3 years, as long as the combined occasions equal at least 12 months) and having at least one disability.
Have a verifiable source of income
Can be in the form of benefits the applicant receives (i.e SSI, SSDI, retirement, VA benefits etc.), employment or a funding source for at least one year (i.e. a PSH or RRH program). Funding organizations must commit to help the neighbor cover daily expenses and connect them with a sustainable source of income.
Be over the age of 18
Applicants must be able to show proof of age (valid driver’s license, state ID, military ID, etc.).
Have been in the Austin area for at least the past year
“Austin area” includes Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop counties.
Meet CFV criminal history requirements:
- Applicants on the Sex Offender Registry will be automatically denied.
- Mobile Loaves & Fishes reserves the right to disqualify someone who has a conviction during our specified look back periods. See our chart.
- Applicants will be automatically denied if they have been issued a Criminal Trespassing Warrant (CTW) for Community First! Village.
- MLF reserves the right to disqualify someone who has repeatedly broken our community policies. This includes, but is not limited to, violating our overnight guest policy or engaging in criminal activity on site.
Community First! Village Housing Types
Applicants have access to three types of homes in Community First! Village: Microhomes, PMRVs (Park Model Recreational Vehicles)/RVs and Tiny Townhomes.
We ask applicants to please consider the following when making their selection:
Microhomes
Microhome units are not plumbed (no shower, toilet, or sink). These units are within 125 feet of a Laundry/Restroom/Shower facility and an Outdoor Kitchen. All utilities are included.
PMRV & RV Units
Park Model Recreational Vehicles (PMRV) and RV units are plumbed and have toilets, showers and sinks. Tenants are responsible for paying their own utility costs, including electricity and propane.
Tiny Townhomes
Tiny Townhome units are partially plumbed and have a toilet and sink, but not a shower or kitchen area.
To apply for a home at Community First! Village, there are three basic steps:
If you are eligible and complete these three steps, your name will be added to our waiting list.
Please note that wait times vary. Be sure to update us if your contact information changes so that we can reach out to you when your name comes up to the top of our waiting list.
Have you already applied and are looking for information on the status of your application?
Please fill out this form, or call our Housing Hotline at (512) 551-5471. For all other questions, please email housing@mlf.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
The number one rule in Community First! Village is that all neighbors must pay rent on time. If you do not have a source of income when you apply, that’s okay. However, please realize you will not be moved in until you’ve developed a thorough and sustainable plan to pay your rent.
We do have 1099 income contract opportunities available in Community First! Village through Community Works, our dignified income program. Please realize contracts through this program are intended to provide supplemental income and may not be sustainable as your sole income source. There also are a limited number of contracts and we cannot guarantee availability.
You must have income to pay your rent, utilities, and other necessities of life. The minimum income amount required for someone living in a Microhome is $600 per month. The minimum income amount required for someone living in a Tiny Townhome is $700 per month, and the minimum income amount for a neighbor living in a Park Model RV (PMRV) or RV is $825 per month.
There is a one (1) person maximum occupancy for our Microhomes and Tiny Townhomes. There is a two (2) person maximum occupancy in our Recreational Vehicles (RVs) or Park Model RV’s (PMRVs), which contain one bedroom. If two individuals apply to live together, the two applicants may combine their income as their plan to pay rent.
Here are additional important occupancy standards applicants need to be aware of who are living in our PMRV and RV units:
- If both occupants are adults (age 18 or above), they must hold themselves up as a couple and qualify separately.
- Children 5 and under do not count towards occupancy limits.
- If any occupants are under the age of 18, they must be legal dependents of the adult(s) on the lease.
Having a criminal record does not disqualify you from applying for a home in Community First! Village. However, an applicant who is currently or has ever been on the Sex Offender Registry will be automatically disqualified. Additionally, Mobile Loaves & Fishes reserves the right to disqualify someone who has a charge during the look back periods on this document. We work closely with individuals who have a criminal record, but make no guarantees on approval of their housing application.
Community First! Village neighbors may have up to two pets. Neighbors must acknowledge that they have received and understand the Community First! Village ‘Pet Rules.’ A pet deposit, up-to-date vaccination records and proof of spay/neuter will be required before you can move in. Neighbors will be responsible for complying with all of the pet rules and regulations from MLF. Community First! Village abides by the City of Austin leash laws.
An applicant who is in violation of the rules and regulations of Community First! Village prior to moving in will be in danger of being disqualified. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Falsified information provided on application
- History of violating CFV community rules
- Illegal activity onsite at CFV
- Issued a CTW by MLF
- Physical or verbal threats or abuse
- Squatting on CFV property
An applicant who no longer meets the eligibility criteria will be disqualified. You must qualify both at the time of application submission and when your name comes up on the waiting list for your CFV Housing Interview.
One vehicle per lease is permitted on the property. Any exceptions must be cleared by Property Management as there is a very limited amount of parking. All of our neighbors’ vehicles must have proper MLF permits. Those that do not are subject to towing at the owner’s expense. Please note that vehicles are prohibited from parking on the premises if they are inoperable, have no license plates, no current registration, or no current inspection sticker.
As stated in the Housing Contract for Community First! Village, no transfers between homes will be allowed. However, change requests for Reasonable Accommodation will be considered in the following situations: Emergency or Safety, Reasonable Accommodation for Disability, Change in Family Size and/or Composition, or Unneeded Accessibility Features.
The time between application submission and application approval can last up to one (1) year or more. Please know we are doing our best to accommodate as many applications as possible. While you are waiting, please keep us informed of any contact information that needs to be updated or a change in your housing status. Failure to do so may result in us not being able to reach you and having to retire your application. The number for our housing hotline is: 512-551-5471 or you may email housing@mlf.org.
Mobile Loaves & Fishes does not provide wifi inside the homes at Community First! Village. Wifi is, however, accessible across the property outside of buildings. Many neighbors living in the Village have gone through the process of getting wifi in their unit, and if needed we are happy to discuss at a high level during the housing interview some of the options that have worked for other neighbors in the past. However, please realize it is ultimately up to the CFV neighbor to find a wifi solution for their individual home if wifi service is preferred. Mobile Loaves & Fishes makes no guarantee of consistent wifi service in Community First! Village and may occasionally experience wifi outages.
Because all applicants must qualify as chronically homeless according to HUD’s definition in order to be eligible for housing in Community First! Village, we require third party verification of every episode of homelessness an applicant has experienced. Every episode of homelessness must be verified by either one service provider or two additional individuals who have personally witnessed your homeless history (i.e., employer, additional case worker, family member, friend, etc.).
Multiple third party verification forms may be needed to verify the past year of homelessness or long term episodes of homelessness over the past 3 years.
