The Community First! Village might not be a legal town, but Blair is its mayor nonetheless. With a long white beard and a smile that stretches ear-to-ear, his warm presence is recognized all over this village of individuals who recently experienced homelessness. 

Blair spends his days encouraging connections among his neighbors, whether through hosting open mic night, playing games in the social lounge, or simply stopping in to check on others. 

These aren’t just acts of kindness. For Blair and his neighbors, building enduring relationships is vital to ensuring community members can rebuild their lives. “Anyone can be homeless if you have no family,” he said. “I’ve always been an open person. I’m a people person. I need to be with people. … I’m doing what I should be doing.”

Blair and his neighbors live in the Community First! Village as a part of Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF), an organization that has a unique approach to mitigating homelessness. 

On Dec. 5, MLF will take part in a benefit concert with Alabama at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The concert will put MLF’s community-first model of change on center stage. 

Many organizations, even well-meaning ones, approach people experiencing homelessness as problems. This perspective might be motivation for fundraising and housing programs, but it fails to consider people as individuals with dignity who can contribute in their communities. Mobile Loaves & Fishes thinks differently. The nonprofit empowers people experiencing chronic homelessness to participate in designing programs meant to help them — after all, who better understands their unique needs and circumstances? 

The concert is part of that ethos, and like all of MLF’s programming, it’s an effort to bring communities together. Other programs include village housing, a volunteer food truck ministry, and opportunities for work experience within MLF communities. 

These experiences offer valuable lessons. MLF shows the impact of empowering chronically homeless individuals to contribute meaningfully within their own communities.

People experiencing homelessness have a lot to contribute. All they need is the opportunity — a fact made abundantly clear by Blair’s optimism, humor, and bright personality. Just ask Amber Fogarty, managing director of Stand Together Foundation, who previously served as MLF’s president.

“Progress doesn’t rely on a powerful few to direct the rest of us,” she said. 

It takes all of us — homeless and housed alike. 

The tool many leave out when tackling homelessness

All three of Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ core programs seek to bring communities together. 

The Community First! Village is a 51-acre planned development that provides affordable, permanent housing — and more importantly, builds community among the residents. Through MLF’s food truck ministry, community members (both housed and unhoused) work together, interacting directly with men and women on the streets.

The Community Works program places people experiencing homelessness alongside their housed neighbors in work experiences, allowing them to contribute their unique skills and passions productively. Jobs like organic farming, ceramics, jewelry making, and property beautification provide opportunities for them to showcase their individuality.

With this approach, MLF amplifies the voices of a population that is often misjudged and underestimated. Separation from family and social circles is both a primary cause and a compounding effect of homelessness, so establishing genuine relationships and building a “forged” family within the community is an essential foundation for achieving self-sufficiency and overcoming homelessness.

“People who have experienced homelessness are often judged harshly, and much of that judgment comes from a place of misunderstanding, stereotypes, and false narratives that persist about our neighbors,” said Fogarty. “As Mother Teresa taught us, ‘If you judge people, you have no time to love them.’ Mobile Loaves & Fishes strives to create a future where all of their neighbors who have experienced the harsh and traumatic realities of homelessness are fully and wholly known — and fully and wholly loved.”

The concert at Moody Center is aimed at growing those community connections. The event is a partnership between Oak View Group and Stand Together. It’s aimed at creating positive changes in communities.

Earlier this year, Oak View Group (OVG), the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions, announced Stand Together as OVG’s exclusive Official Social Impact Partner in Austin, TX. 

Through this partnership, Stand Together is the Presenting Partner of OVG’s Red River Rising, a community platform based in Austin, which focuses on three main pillars: empowering local musicians, preserving the Red River downtown music district, and addressing housing insecurity. As the Presenting Partner, Stand Together will help Red River Rising expand their reach and impact as well as co-produce an annual benefit concert at Moody Center to drive awareness of social issues and benefit local nonprofit partners.

In addition to the concert, there will be a block party and art gallery. These will include games, an exhibition of works from MLF artists, and tables where concertgoers can engage with MLF representatives. The hope is for a fun, communal atmosphere where people can enjoy themselves and learn.

“Proximity is everything,” Fogarty said. “When we get to know someone and understand their lived experience, we grow in our empathy and compassion for them.” Quoting author Brené Brown she continued, “People are hard to hate close up. Move in.”

Homelessness affects us all, and requires all of our efforts

Incorporating a community-centered approach to tackling homelessness encourages a more empathetic and dignified view of the people experiencing it. This also has tangible effects on an organization’s bottom line. By listening closely to the voices of those at the center of the issue, organizations can create strategies that are informed by reality and more likely to succeed. 

Mobile Loaves & Fishes is proof. Nearly 400 individuals and counting have moved from homelessness to being neighbors at Community First! Village. In 2023, participants in the Community Works program and other work opportunities earned $1.5 million in income. MLF is set to expand in two additional phases, growing its footprint and impact in Austin.

How can other organizations and community leaders working with unhoused people follow in their footsteps?

First, recognize that homelessness cannot be entirely “solved.” This isn’t about being pessimistic, as Fogarty explained. It’s about being realistic, which allows for a more effective approach. Rather than seeking a definitive solution, we should focus on ways to prevent and mitigate homelessness.

It is also essential for organizations to take a multifaceted, interdisciplinary approach. Homelessness doesn’t exist in a vacuum, which is why community is so transformational in alleviating it. Community is built through the interplay of various aspects of society — as are the best tools. This is why MLF’s programming is so varied, touching on housing, job opportunities, food, clothing, and relationships.

“Homelessness exists at the intersection of so many broken systems and layers of trauma,” said Fogarty. “We need a holistic approach that recognizes the complexities of homelessness and its root causes … [MLF’s] work is laser-focused on reconnecting their neighbors to self, family, and community.”

Many people might see homelessness as an issue that doesn’t affect them, especially if they don’t personally know someone who is experiencing it. However, “change starts with every person leaning into their lived experiences and dynamically responding to changing circumstances,” she said. 

Homelessness in a community affects everyone.  While people experiencing homelessness firsthand are suffering most profoundly, others are affected because it strains public services, deters tourism, and impacts home and business owners. Everyone in a community can contribute to easing the burden of homelessness. 

“At MLF, we used to always say, ‘Homelessness is a community issue that requires a community response,’” Fogarty explained. 

Contributing may mean spearheading an organization, volunteering at an event, donating to an organization — or, if you’re in Austin on Dec. 5, simply attending a concert and having open, genuine conversations.

“Homelessness is truly a human tragedy because our neighbors are not treated with the dignity and respect they deserve,” said Fogarty. “They often live in shame and isolation and become separated from the community. Connecting human to human and heart to heart is the path forward to mitigate homelessness. It takes all of us.” 

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Mobile Loaves & Fishes is supported by Stand Together Foundation, which partners with the nation’s most transformative nonprofits to break the cycle of poverty.

Learn more aboutStand Together’s efforts to build strong and safe communities and explore ways you can partner with us.