January 20, 2026
The RCLCO Foundation is pleased to announce the recipient of its 2026 Affordable Housing Leadership Award: Austin, Texas based Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) who has developed the successful and innovative Community First! Village.
The RCLCO Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, supports and advances initiatives to preserve and increase affordable housing and prevent homelessness. The Award recognizes organizations performing work aligned with this mission in the local communities where RCLCO has offices. Community First! Village has received a $5,000 grant from the Foundation to be used for affordable housing development and support.
Community First! Village is a master-planned residential community offering affordable, permanent housing and a strong support network for individuals emerging from chronic homelessness. A development of MLF, this innovative neighborhood is designed to serve and uplift neighbors who have experienced long-term life on the streets, while also engaging the broader community in a sustained, service-oriented response to homelessness.
Today, Community First! Village occupies land on Hog Eye Road and Burleson Road in Travis County Texas. It is currently home to more than 440 formerly homeless neighbors and will provide housing and community for 1,900 when complete.
MLF’s “Neighborhoods of Knowingness” architectural concept at Community First! Village organizes a diverse mix of home types into clusters of approximately 40–50 residences, each centered around shared communal spaces and buildings—such as outdoor kitchens and combined laundry/restroom/shower facilities. This design fosters more frequent, organic interaction among neighbors by creating intentional, shared gathering areas within 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,” said Alan Graham, the lead visionary behind Community First! Village and founder and CEO of MLF. The community concept has been so successful that MLF has been in touch with dozens of organizations nationally who are interested in replicating this concept in their local communities.
The RCLCO Foundation board determined that the Community First! Village is a deserving second recipient of the Affordable Housing Leadership Award and looks forward to following the positive impacts it has on the community. Click here to learn more about Mobile Loaves & Fishes and the Community First! Village in Austin, Texas.
