About the Village
Community First! Village is a master planned neighborhood that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community—what MLF refers to as our forged family—for men and women coming out of homelessness.
Today, Community First! Village occupies land on both Hog Eye Road and Burleson Road in Travis County. It is currently home to more than 470 formerly homeless neighbors, and will provide housing and community for as many as 1900 of our friends who once struggled to survive on the streets of Austin, and other neighbors to support them, when complete.
Now is the time to multiply the goodness of Community First! Village and build more homes for more neighbors. We know that homelessness can be mitigated by providing an affordable, permanent home in a supportive community for those who need it most.
In 2023, we began infrastructure work for the expansion of the Village. The expansion includes two new properties which will add a combined 127 additional acres to the existing property with room for 1400 more homes. Once fully developed, Community First! Village will have 1900 homes and neighborhood support buildings spread across 178 acres.
Hog Eye Road Expansion
Burleson Road Expansion
Neighborhoods of Knowingness
Creating “Community within Communities”
MLF’s Neighborhoods of Knowingness architectural design used in the Village combines a mix of home models in pockets of 40-50 homes, which are grouped around a communal area and shared community buildings, such as an outdoor kitchen or a laundry/restroom/shower facility, allowing neighbors to connect more regularly in a shared area of the neighborhood. This approach allows neighbors to connect more regularly in a shared area of the neighborhood.
“I firmly believe that Neighborhoods of Knowingness is an architectural game changer that will enable us to effectively scale this one-of-a-kind community, the likes of which has never been seen before in our city or elsewhere around the country.”
– ALAN GRAHAM
Neighborhoods of Knowingness (2025)
Multiply Your Goodness
In September 2021, Travis County earmarked $35 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds for the Burleson expansion of Community First! Village.
On Giving Tuesday 2021, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation announced a commitment of $36.6 million to Multiplying Goodness, the capital campaign for Community First! Village which will fund an additional 1,400 homes for Central Texans coming out of chronic homelessness. Through our planning, we estimate that $225 million is needed to develop the expansion. The Foundation is inviting the community to match the funds to help us reach this goal.
To learn more or schedule a tour, contact our Relationships & Giving Team at relationships@mlf.org.
We are building hope every day!
