The world looks a little brighter from the front porch of your own home. It’s a sight more than 200 formerly homeless people are waking up to each morning at the Community First! Village – a planned suburbia in Austin, Texas which provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness.
Residents live in about 100 RVs and 125 micro homes arranged on streets with names like “Peaceful Path” and “Goodness Way”. The 51-acre planned village was designed to create a sense of community. The homes are “micro” on purpose, providing just enough comfort and privacy but small enough to encourage the owners to step outside. There they can find stone-paved paths that lead to community kitchens, a market, laundry and washrooms, a medical facility, and even an outdoor movie theater.
This inspiring initiative seems to be tackling homelessness the right way by offering those in need more than just four walls and a roof over their heads but also a warm sense of community and belongingness.
This story was one of the best from 2019, and we are happy to include it in our “12 Days of Optimism” as we get ready to welcome 2020!
