Why We're Involved:

Since Community First Village (CFV) was started in 2015 by Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a Catholic food ministry, they have filed 220 eviction cases. About 194 of these occurred after the eviction moratorium was lifted in March 2022. The Dignified Neighbors' Association has analyzed the cases and charted demographic data to understand the full scope of CFV's eviction problem.

Here's what we found:

• 1 in 3 residents who have lived at Community First Village receive an eviction notice
• Black residents receive eviction notices at 2x the rate of their non-Black neighbors
• How long most people (37%) live at CFV before their first eviction citation: 1-2 years
• The median age of residents with eviction cases (all time): 59 years old
• CFV is knowingly committing disability violations by ignoring/refusing Requests for Reasonable Accommodation from their disabled residents. One resident in a wheelchair lives on the side of a steep hill and has to haul water from the communal kitchen to their house because all tiny homes lack running water. This resident requested to move units due to their disability and was not accommodated. Additionally, residents with SSDI checks that arrive mid-month have submitted Requests for Reasonable Accommodation to have late fees forgiven. CFV has not honored these requests and this is a direct disability violation.
• More than 230 people have received Criminal Trespass Warnings at CFV, and if they return to the property they are at risk of getting arrested. Case managers, family, friends, former employees, and guests have received CTWs and CFV does not need to provide any reason as to why. This list, which intentionally excludes certain people who received CTWs, shows many of those banned from the property: CTW List
• Constant surveillance of residents is the norm at CFV. Almost all areas on the property are covered by security cameras. A resident organizer/activist and founding member of DNA reported that the property deactivated her bathroom card--the ID card residents need to scan to access a bathroom or shower. This came without any warning. When confronted, property management claimed they saw guests had been using her card 8 times, and admitted "we monitor everyone."

Why should you care?

Donors:

Community First Village exists because of donors. You fund the payrolls of everyone at CFV and enable them to use money to "support residents." Your investment into any organization deserved transparency, dignity, and accountability. If you truly care about the residents you have paid to support, these issues should matter to you.

Community Members:

Community First Village is a part of our city. Residents are our neighbors. Community members should know more about the "tiny house village" that some say solved Austin's homelessness. You have the privilege to speak up about the treatment of your neighbors. Don't be complicit in what is happening miles from where you sleep at night, in the comfort of a bed, with running water at your disposal, and with food in the fridge. Let's live up to Austin's values of compassion and justice by protecting the people this village was meant to serve.

Social Service Providers:

Our clients live here. We have a stake in their safety and success. Community First Village must be a stable, trauma-informed option in the housing ecosystem. We must hold partners accountable to the standards we expect within the Continuum of Care. Once you get someone housing at CFV, they should not be just a number to you. Do you really know how they are living years after you sent them to live at the village?