Mobile Loaves & Fishes
The WellSky Foundation’s first 2020 recipient is Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF), a social outreach organization based in Austin, Texas that has earned national recognition for its innovative programs that restore dignity to people facing homelessness. MLF was gifted $50,000 to support their ongoing initiative — Community First! Village – that builds community and delivers permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness.
MLF’s Community First! Village is a 51-acre master-planned community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for people coming out of homelessness. Since 2015, Community First! Village has uplifted more than 200 people off the streets and into stable housing.
The neighborhood currently includes over 200 microhomes and RVs, with an additional 300 homes under development, and offers its residents a range of amenities, such as an onsite medical clinic, laundry and restroom facilities, wellness and respite center, and community gardens. MLF takes a community-based approach to delivering housing and supportive services that address the individual needs of people experiencing homelessness.
“Building empowered, supportive communities is vital to our mission of lifting our neighbors out of chronic homelessness. We firmly believe that providing housing alone won’t solve homelessness, but building communities will,” said Alan Graham, founder and CEO of Mobile Loaves & Fishes. “Partnering with the WellSky Foundation means we can continue growing the programs we provide, strengthening our relationships with Community First! Village neighbors and helping more of our friends experiencing homelessness get the care, compassion, and community support they need to heal.”
“Partnering with the WellSky Foundation means we can continue growing the programs we provide… helping more [people] get the care, compassion, and community support they need to heal.”
— Alan Graham,Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Mobile Loaves & Fishes