A good program for chronically homeless - central Texas

[Dachsie]

So many helping projects for the growing number of chronically homeless around the country seem to be either non-existent, being closed down by local government, or failing disorderly projects.

Here is a good one.


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Just thought I would highlight a successful program to help some of the most worthy homeless people.

https://mlf.org/

https://mlf.org/community-first/

Amenities at Community First! Village include:

An innovative mix of affordable housing options
Memorial garden, columbarium and prayer labyrinth
Places for worship, study and fellowship

Medical facility for health screenings, and other support services including hospice and respite care
Walking trails
Community gardens

Outdoor movie theater
Community market
Bed & breakfast for overnight visits
Capital Metro bus stop
WiFi

_______________________

There are a little over 200 small individual "houses" for chronically homeless people in Austin, Texas, area.

The plan is to have 100 new small "houses" built on the site in 2018.

This is a Christian oriented project.

It is being run by a Catholic older couple Mr. and Mrs. Alan Graham. This couple moved into one of the tiny houses at Community First and now live there full time as all of their children are grown and moved out of their family home.

Dwellings are small little, quickly built, houses that are about 250 to 350 square feet. Univ. of Texas architecture students design unique tiny houses.
Some homes are sturdy army type tents with good overhang roof and porches.
Some are reconditioned Recreational Vehicles.

People in the construction trades and businesses donate time and some materials and people send tax deductible donations for all this to happen.

There is a strict screening process for the chronically homeless to be accepted to live there. Most of them have some small SS disability checks or some small income so they each pay about $250 or a little more for rent and utilities.

I think that most of the disabilities or chronic homelessness is from loss of family support, alcoholism in the past, or some milder forms of mental illness or mental retardation. A few are in wheelchairs with substantial physical disabilities, and many are veterans.

Big bathrooms and showers every few houses but no individual toilets in each house. Is on city sewage system.

Community showers.

On site farm with chickens, goats, rabbits and large vegetable garden and trees tended by residents and volunteers from the community. Free food from this garden is given to the residents to cook themselves in their homes or for gatherings in the big outdoor community kitchen and covered patio.

I think no drug addicted person or alcoholic will be admitted. I am sure there are many rules to live there and a tight ship is necessary for this to work.

From what I understand it is being run in a very orderly Christian manner and is a safe, secure and clean and spiritually healthy environment for these individuals who have lived outside on the street for many years.

I have been reading about high homeless in Orange County California and other places around the USA and I have viewed other programs similar to this one, Community First. This one does seem like the best I have seen yet and is actually long-term successful in getting a substantial number of Austin area's chronically homeless permanently off the streets into good individual housing.

There are still several hundred homeless in the county and many of them are drug addicted and commit robbery, assault and burglary to support their habit. The local churches offer helping programs for these people to some extent and provide overnight shelter on freezing cold days.

I used to do volunteer work at one of the major homeless assistance agencies, so while my area has very high homelessness, it also has some good helping programs.

[steyr_m]

"I think no drug addicted person or alcoholic will be admitted."

Must be empty then.....

[cheka.]

i'm skeptical that no taxpayer money is being used. saw that catholic was mentioned --- some catholic charities do get taxpayer money. i know because i used that fact against a catholic skool to force them to accept my kid's vaccine exemption form from the texas state government

that rule, any skool that takes public money must accept the vaccine exemption was created by the now-governor of texas. he was attorney general at the time i was fighting the fight. once i uncovered the public money, they buckled

[Dachsie]

i'm skeptical that no taxpayer money is being used. saw that catholic was mentioned --- some catholic charities do get taxpayer money. i know because i used that fact against a catholic skool to force them to accept my kid's vaccine exemption form from the texas state government

that rule, any skool that takes public money must accept the vaccine exemption was created by the now-governor of texas. he was attorney general at the time i was fighting the fight. once i uncovered the public money, they buckled

Though I cannot say for sure that Community First does not receive any federal grants or taxpayer funds, in my book, it is a good program. Also to my knowledge they do not accept any residents who are not U. S. citizens. Actually keeping these people off the streets and out of local hospitals, etc. saves the local taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in other services for the indigent.

To my knowledge, the Catholic church has little or nothing to do with this project. It just happens that Mr. Graham mentioned that that was his religion but that is the only thing Catholic about it. Today Vatican II Novus Ordo schools and diocesesan "Catholic" churches are not much different than liberal Protestant entities.

This is a blue city and it provides a great way for businesses to get tax deduction while they donate construction labor and materials as well as get advertisement for their business on local TV news stories as well as videos on YouTube.

Also the many Leftie hippie types love to do volunteer work there in working on the gardens etc and get their groups on local TV coverage. Surprised they like having anything to do with a Christian clean project that is not operating in a cloud of marijauna smoke.

That is funny about a Catholic school balking at accepting vaccine exemption. Good you made them accept it.
Now, if doctor's offices would stop pushing flu vaccines and stop taking kickbacks from vaccine drug companies, wouldn't that be great?

Community First has gotten over 200 poor disabled homeless people off the streets and into safe shelter, and those residents are paying rent out of their own money so it is not completely a handout or taxpayer sponsored freebie.

[Dachsie]

I will morph the subject of this thread away from one specific project to help the homeless to the problem of homelessness in general in the USA.

Here is one of many examples of the homelessness situation in Los Angeles, California, and other areas of California, a very blue state.



This video was produced and published on YouTube a few weeks ago, and is about 14 minutes.

The channel owner, videographer, appears well intentioned and has the same thesis as other videos of California homelessness on other YT channels, and that is...

"How long is the community going to ignore this homelessness problem?" There is a sense of outrage and calling for people in the Los Angeles "community" to do something, such as contact their city council or their churches and just try to solve this problem and get these poor people off the streets. In this example video, it is said that the City of Los Angeles has millions of dollars in their coffers allocated for the problem of homelessness and yet the city does not appear to be spending that money to actually solve the problem and end these encampments on the streets.


LA Homeless Built Structure Out Of Trash
9,481 views

Homeless Lives Matter
Streamed live on Feb 2, 2018
How long does it take for a Homeless person to build a structure out of stuff that Los Angeles residents throw in the trash ?
_________

http://www.HomelessLivesMatter.org
http://www.Twitter.com/HomelessMatters
http://www.FaceBook.com/HomelessLives...

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I guess I do not believe there can be a good project, like the example of original posting in this thread, unless there is a Christian motivation and environment, and unless there is strict screening for a particular kind of homeless person to become eligible to live in this permanent and more like a true and real "community." (Large cities like Los Angeles cannot be thought of as "communities" in the true sense of the word, and I would say using that word to describe huge cities is kind of the Leftist or socialist misuse of the term.)

California's whole culture has been, over the last century, obliterated and degraded, by Marxist Left-wing ideology and governmental laws and policies.
Entire large cities in California, such as Riverside California, have been allowed to be invaded, overrun with and taken over by illegal aliens from Mexico.
The wide open borders policy of allowing free entrance to USA by illegal aliens from Mexico continues to this day.

(There is a story in today's news that some political leader in Mexico is threatening to bring in United Nations forces to combat any Wall that President Trump may build as the 'people of Mexico have a full and perfect right to enter the USA at will with no restrictions whatsoever.' That my paraphrase, but a close one. If UN forces ever come to Mexico to fight USA, that will be war, and I do not think Mexico will fare well at all, but then the leaders of Mexico do not much care about the sovereignty of their own country or the common good of its people.)

I therefore do not agree with the commentator / videographer in this example video of homelessness where he asks 'where is the sense of caring and the sense of outrage for these poor homeless people.

There are limits to helping these illegal aliens and other people who are "down and out" because of other reasons. The middle income people are being eliminated and partly because their wages from the big corporations have not kept up to being "a living wage" and partly because these middle income people are being taxed to death and taxed out of home ownership, and partly because the economy is so bad and the few dollars they do have don't go far enough toward buying the basics of living and survival.

The whole mindset of helping these homeless people is completely different for Left thinkers and Right thinkers. The whole approach to solving this problem for Christians and for all others of all other belief systems differs starkly.

Socialist solutions for problems created by Saul Alinsky type USA destroyers, as in Los Angeles, will be no solution at all.

[Dachsie]

3D printed small houses will make up Phase II of Austin, TX Community First Village


https://austin.curbed.com/2019/9/10/...se-3d-printing

ustin Development News

Austin groups 3D-print tiny homes to help end homelessness

Local activation of cutting-edge tech for social good could have worldwide implications
By Cindy Widner@CurbedAustin Sep 10, 2019, 1:31pm CDT

Community First Village, run by Mobile Loaves and Fishes to provide permanent, personal housing and services for homeless people in Austin, had quite the breakthrough day Monday. Partnering with Austin-based Icon and and Cielo property group, it opened the second phase of its development with a 3D-printed prototype house that will serve as a welcome center for the community. The 500-square-foot building took a total of 27 hours to print.

That was only the beginning, according to said Alan Graham, founder and CEO of Mobile Loaves & Fishes: “ICON is pushing the envelope and is technologically laying out a new way of looking at how we build homes,” he said. “One of our desires is that this partnership with ICON will grow so deep that we’re able to leverage this technology to someday build all of our microhomes in future phases of the village.” Graham and the nonprofit he heads hope to “demonstrate why Community First! Village is at the epicenter of innovation in our country in terms of communities and movements that are effectively addressing homelessness.”

It’s a point that would be hard to argue. ICON, which uses robotics, software, and advanced materials (including its proprietary “Lavacrete”) to remove numerous barriers in the contemporary building industry, debuted its first 3D printer and the country’s first permitted, 3D-printed home in at SXSW 2018 in Austin. That home was a prototype made in partnership with internationally focused housing nonprofit New Story. (That project seems to have gotten off the ground, bringing on marquee designer Yves Béhar to work on a community of the homes, planned to provide low-income housing in an undisclosed Latin American city.)

The next year, ICON debuted and started shipping its upgraded Vulcan II 3D printer, one of which was promptly commissioned by Cielo to be used exclusively to print affordable housing locally. The completion of the 3D-printed home on Monday was a milestone for the second phase of Community First, which will feature multiple variations on the homes, designed by Logan and printed simultaneously to further increase speed and reduce cost—the latter, simultaneous printing, another first. A set of six will be printed for the community this year.

Cielo worked with Cedar Creek Interiors, Logan Architecture, and Claire Zinnecker Designs on the welcome (and welcoming) center. Industry West donated the furniture. “I wanted the Welcome Center to feel warm, inviting and homey. Utilizing bright colors, interesting shapes, and warm, natural materials, we created a space that makes visitors feel comfortable from the moment they walk in. This is a monumental moment, and I wanted the space to acknowledge and celebrate that.”

n 2017, Graham announced a 10-year plan to mitigate homelessness in Austin, along with a $60 million capital campaign to fund expansion of its innovative Community First Village, a development that includes tiny houses, recreational vehicles, and “canvas-sided” homes (sturdy tents with concrete foundations), created with a community of volunteers, entrepreneurs, designers, and city leaders to as a permanent housing model for people who experience chronic homelessness.

Phase II adds 24 acres to the northeast Austin development, bringing the entire property to 51 total acres. When completed and at full capacity, Community First will have space for around 480 formerly homeless people. According to a February Austin Monitor story, the total number of people estimated to be without homes in 2019 would likely be around 2,247.

In large part because of its forward-thinking founder, Community First has been at the vanguard of the intersection of technology and social good. As the group expands and enhances its ability to offer real, lasting solutions to homelessness, that kind of collaboration is proving fruitful. “One of our fantasies is that this partnership with ICON and Mobile Loaves and Fishes will grow so deep that we’re able to leverage this technology to build all of our homes. We completely see that as a big, future mission,” said Graham. “Community First is the perfect place on the planet to experiment with that.”

Community First! Village
9301 Hog Eye Road, , TX 78724 (512) 328-7299


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https://mlf.org/community-first/


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4:59 runtime

This company can build move-in ready houses using a 3D printer | Your Morning
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•Apr 3, 2018
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We speak to Jason Ballad, co-founder of ICON, a company that that is building non-profit houses with a 3D printer for just $4,000.

Update: Check out this project ICON worked on with a non-profit to help start building the worlds first 3D-Printed neighbourhood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIzPM...

[madfranks]

ICON, a company that that is building non-profit houses with a 3D printer for just $4,000

I think it's a good program, but I'm tired of all these people bragging about building $4000 or so "houses". No, you're not getting a house for $4000, you're getting a shell. You still need things like plumbing, HVAC, electricity, data/phone, etc. And of course all the utility hookups as well (sewer, gas, etc.). Not to mention exterior siding or cladding (unless you like the rough and unfinished exterior surface of the printed concrete).

[Dachsie]

I think it's a good program, but I'm tired of all these people bragging about building $4000 or so "houses". No, you're not getting a house for $4000, you're getting a shell. You still need things like plumbing, HVAC, electricity, data/phone, etc. And of course all the utility hookups as well (sewer, gas, etc.). Not to mention exterior siding or cladding (unless you like the rough and unfinished exterior surface of the printed concrete).

I agree.

However, in this particular situation I think this is a good idea.

I think this company ICON can kind of use the Community First situation as a place for further experimentation, and if they are properly motivated, they may discover ways to construct so as to keep costs like you mention to a minimum.

At Community First, they have been purchasing

big RVs (used? refurbished?) for $25,000

and

small little houses constructed on site for about 15000 or 20000 forgot.

The unit now do not have indoor bathrooms in each unit but I think running water in kitchenette sink., except indoor RV toilet for handcap people I think.

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These new printed houses do not have to look pretty from the outside and they can be made with conduits built in for later install of electric and plumbing.

The 4000 price might work really good for Community First to get 480 new units built in their Phase II program as the money comes from donations of people and discounted priced by ICON as Tax Deductible donation can be factored in.

So the printable houses might be good for getting a bunch more people off the homeless streets at the soonest possible time and they are good advertising for ICON and they are getting the most bang for the tax free donated bucks.

Community First has turned out to be a good program for the homeless and they have several businesses now where the employees are only the full time residents of Community First who are already paying monthly rent to CF nonprofit org. so now the homeless have a job and an income and dignity of working too, though not all of them.

The place seems to be evolving and now they are allowing people, I think they call them "missionals", who have no history ever of living out on the streets, to come at rent a Community First House, but those people have to be devoted full time to serving the needs of the former homeless living there. A young M.D. in his residency training just moved in there and there are nurses and others living there now too.

I have a feeling that the Phase II printed houses may, at least in some of them, end up being made with individual unit bathrooms and full utilities but the rent for those units will be much higher for the missionals that have chosen to live there, but who are not the homeless.

Things are changing there. I would not mind living there myself if the little house had full indoor utilities but I have been blessed with enough resources, at least for the moment, to not have to living in a place meant to be for the homeless.

Businesses that want to donate and get a big tax deduction and free advertising can really be a win-win as far as getting the place to work well for permanently getting the homeless a permanent home and a support atmosphere and maybe a permanent job too. Real rehabiliation that works.

I exchanged a few email with Alan Graham the creator director and full time resident there a while back on the subject of addict problems for Community First. He said they have some book and method when they identify an addict living there. It is based on loving heavy support for the addict to help them get back on the wagon and hold on to their Community First house. They have about 15 percent recidivism rate meaning the resident either moves on to better living situation or is kicked out because of drug or disruptive behavior problems that break all the rules there.

I pray that Mr. Graham is able to not have addicts take over and ruin his beautiful project.

P.S. The city is a big hippie blue city but for all the lipservice for the poor and the homeless the cabal runing the city are in cahoots with the Chamber of Commerce and have just donated a city outdoor campsite for the homeless to the Chamber of Commerce who will use the land to make big bucks for some businesses. I see a lot of kickbacks corruption in this City government transaction with the Chamber of Commerce.

Forgive my typing, grammar, spelling errors of late please.

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I was a social worker in a long ago former life and I really like to see poor homeless people helped in a successful program. This is not a full government program, that always fail, and people their pay their own rent money and some of them are employed full or part time. It is a Christian atmosphere there and support and freindships develop that gives these people who have no families to support them a new family.

[Jewboo]

"I think no drug addicted person or alcoholic will be admitted."

Must be empty then.....

The Boise Rescue Mission (Christian) here in Idaho has always conducted nightly breathalyzer tests at check in and refused entry to those who fail. Everyone knows this. The problem is that there is no breathalyzer test for DRUGS and many of today's 2020 chronically homeless are mentally ill and absolutely on hard drugs. As already mentioned...many of these mentally ill druggies already receive monthly Veteran'/Social Security Disability checks but obviously blow it on drugs.

[madfranks]

I agree.

However, in this particular situation I think this is a good idea.

I think this company ICON can kind of use the Community First situation as a place for further experimentation, and if they are properly motivated, they may discover ways to construct so as to keep costs like you mention to a minimum.

For sure, and I think it's a good idea too, but they need to make expectations more reasonable. If you tell someone you're going to build them a house for $4000 and all they get is an empty shell/shed, people are going to think you mislead them.