Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Founded in Austin, Texas, Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) is a Christian faith-based nonprofit that has been empowering communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless since 1998.

The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) estimates that on a single day in 2024, 6,235 people experienced homelessness in Austin/Travis County. This includes 5,020 people living unsheltered in tents, cars, abandoned buildings, and other places not meant for human habitation, as well as 1,215 people sheltered in emergency shelters or transitional housing. This amounts to 0.25% of the total 2024 Austin MSA population. 

Source: https://austinecho.org/about-echo/homelessness-in-austin

Mobile Loaves & Fishes firmly believes that housing alone will never solve homelessness, but community will. Most often, even though they have no place to call home, we find people on the streets who have a regular, albeit dysfunctional, community, This fundamental requirement for every human being is the need for human interaction; and human interaction occurs within a community. 

At Community First! Village we do more than provide adequate and affordable housing. We provided a caring community with support services and amenities available to help address an individual’s relational needs at a fraction of the cost of traditional housing initiatives. We seek to empower our neighbors to build relationships with others, and to experience healing and restoration as part of engaging with a broader community. 

Since lifting our first neighbor out of homelessness and into a private RV park in 2005, our Community First! model has housed nearly 1000 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness in the Austin area. 

Homelessness exists at the intersection of many broken systems and layers of trauma. After 27 years of service with the homeless, we have learned that the single greatest cause of homelessness is a profound, catastrophic loss of family and community. Added to this loss are deficiencies in the foster care system, the mental health system, the physical health system, the criminal justice system, living wages, affordable housing, equity, and much more. Resolving the issue of homelessness completely would require rectifying this myriad of broken systems. We do believe, however, that we can mitigate this to a point of sustainability in our community.

Over the last ten years, Community First! Village has been recognized for our innovative approach to mitigating homelessness. CFV has been featured in national and international publications, a PBS documentary, spotlighted on The Today Show, claimed a spread in The New York Times, and highlighted through many other media organizations. We are grateful to have earned positive evaluation from both Boston Consulting Group and participated in a case study with The Harvard Business School. Most importantly, our Community First! Model has inspired over 40 organizations across the United States who are working to provide community to vulnerable populations in their communities.

The Expansion of Community First! Village: Multiplying Goodness Capital Campaign

We know that homelessness can be mitigated by providing an affordable, permanent home in a supportive community for those who need it most. Working together to multiply the goodness of Community First! Village will provide more homes for more neighbors who are suffering on the streets of Austin today.

In the summer of 2022, we broke ground on the Hog Eye North expansion of Community FIrst1 Village and today we are excited to welcome our neighbors home to this CFV campus.

We broke ground on Community First! Village Burleson in 2023 and infrastructure work on that site is nearing completion. We continue to build homes on each of these sites at the pace that we build relationships and acquire the necessary funding.

The overall expansion project cost is estimated at $225 million. The project will be funded through our capital campaign and in-kind contributions of services and materials. We do not plan to take on any long-term debt. We are seeking strategic, mission-aligned partners to join us in completing the expansion project with both funding and programming support.

At the time of writing, MLF has secured commitments totaling $160 million toward our $225 million campaign goal.

It takes Community to Build Community.

We are that community and together we will mitigate homelessness.

We remain steadfast in our desire to serve those who have experienced chronic homelessness by providing a permanent home and dignified work in a loving and supportive community. Sustained support of our neighbors is formed on a foundation of loyal relationships and compassionate collaborations. When you – the community – stand alongside our neighbors, you are filling in the gaps, forming a solid bond and demonstrating what it means to love your neighbor.

Currently, Mobile Loaves & Fishes invests between $25,000 – $35,000 per neighbor living in Community First! Villages each year. In 2024, it cost $20.8 million to operate the Village. As our organization grows, we remain committed to scaling responsibly with the goal of bringing our annual per-neighbor cost down to $20,000. In years to come, we anticipate an operating budget between $34 and $37 million once both expansion sites reach occupancy. 

We are primarily funded through private donations. Each year, individual donors, private foundations, businesses, faith partners, and other community partners come alongside us with contributions which fund between 70 and 75 percent of our operating budget. Other sources of revenue include rent payments, programmatic enterprises, and returns on held assets.

In September of 2021, Travis County Commissioners earmarked $35MM for the Burleson expansion of Community First! Village as a part of larger investment in the local homelessness and affordable housing response system. This is a one-time allocation of funds through the American Rescue Plan Act.  Similarly, Williamson County Commissioners voted to contribute $1.4MM toward our Multiplying Goodness campaign in 2023. 

At the time of writing this document, Mobile Loaves & Fishes remains open to exploring all funding opportunities.

Yes, Naming Opportunities are available. Suggested amounts are based on the uniqueness or location of the facilities, not on actual cost. The Naming Opportunity allows the donor to have their name or the name of a loved one permanently connected with the new MLF expansion. Naming Opportunities are available for donations to both our operational sustainability and our Multiplying Goodness capital campaign. 

Yes. Mobile Loaves & Fishes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 74-2956081). All contributions are tax-deductible in accordance with federal law. 

Your annual giving to MLF through our annual fund or otherwise will continue to support the ongoing work of MLF. Capital campaign gifts will support the development of our expansion.

Give. Tour. Volunteer.

Lifting our neighbors off the streets and bringing them home to Community First! Village requires all of us to work together, and there are many ways for you to come alongside us in serving those who need us most.

While our greatest need is funding the completion of our Village expansion, sharing your financial resources is only one way for you to join us in serving our homeless neighbors. We hope you will share all you have learned about Mobile Loaves & Fishes and Community First! Village with your halo – circle of influence – friends, family and community leaders.   

Over the last 10 years, you are the community that has demonstrated time and again what it means to “love your neighbor,” and you have made
Community First! Village the flourishing neighborhood it is today.

With your continued support, as many as 1900 neighbors will eventually have a place to call home.

Further Questions?

Please reach out to Alan Graham or Tracee Henneke at relationships@mlf.org or 512.551.5415 with questions or to discuss your partnership with Mobile Loaves & Fishes. If desired, you can also request a meeting by visiting mlf.org/summit-love-your-neighbor.