In 2018, Mobile Loaves & Fishes broke ground on Phase II of Community First! Village, adding 24 acres to the neighborhood and making room for another 300 homes. Over the next couple of years, this 51-acre master planned community will become home for more than 500 homeless men and women. With the increase in the Village’s capacity comes more opportunities for our neighbors living in Community First! Village to earn a dignified income by working on-site through our Community Works program. This micro-enterprise program developed by Mobile Loaves & Fishes provides opportunities for our neighbors to rediscover purpose and apply their God-given talents to earn a dignified income.
Thanks to a generous donation from our friend John Paul DeJoria and his Peace, Love & Happiness Foundation, we were able to construct the now-completed Community Works Entrepreneur Hub on Phase II of the Village. The Hub is an 8,000 square foot space for our artists to draw, paint, create pottery, produce jewelry and so much more! Many of our neighbors are creative entrepreneurs who enjoy expressing themselves through the work of their hands. This micro-enterprise operation offers a variety of ways for our neighbors to get involved in the community, earn a dignified income and most importantly, have a safe space in which to work. The Hub provides an area for our neighbors to not only collaborate with one another, but it also allows plenty of room for volunteers and visitors when we are able to welcome them back. We have officially started moving supplies over to the Hub and are working on organizing and setting up what is sure to be a beautiful space where creative outlets can be fulfilled on a regular basis.
In addition to all of this, we see the Community Works Entrepreneur Hub as a place of healing. Our neighbors living in Community First! Village have spent several years living on the streets, which is something that is difficult for many of us to imagine. However, when our neighbors find home in Community First! Village, the process of healing can begin, and it looks different for each person who moves in. We are so thankful for this space and the ways in which it will provide comfort and healing to our talented artists, as well as provide them a dignified income for their amazing pieces of work.
