AUSTIN, TX – Today, the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR) is giving its largest pledge ever—$1 million—through its foundation to Community First! Village, the master-planned development of Mobile Loaves & Fishes in northeast Austin that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for chronically homeless men and women.
“Over the past year, our city leaders and residents have been grappling with how to best help those in our community who are experiencing homelessness,” Romeo Manzanilla, 2020 ABoR president, said. “And while ABoR continues to be a strong advocate on this issue at city hall, we’re also taking action now with this long-term partnership with Mobile Loves & Fishes and its innovative Community First! Village. As REALTORS® help Central Texans find their next home, it’s only fitting that our foundation’s contributions go toward one of the most creative and life-changing housing communities in the nation.”
The $1 million will be fulfilled through 10 annual $100,000 contributions through the ABoR Foundation, beginning this year. Funds will be used to help develop homes in Community First! Village and a donor recognition park uniting phases one and two of the village.
“Mobile Loaves & Fishes is able to help lift our homeless neighbors up off the streets of Austin and into a place they can call home at Community First! Village because of the generosity and kindness of the entire community around us,” Alan Graham, founder and CEO of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, said. “We firmly believe that the single largest cause of homelessness is a profound, catastrophic loss of family. Through its pledge, ABoR is providing a significant investment into our community and is also helping to alleviate that loss of family for men and women who are coming out of chronic homelessness.”
This pledge also solidifies a long-term relationship between ABoR and Mobile Loaves & Fishes to include on-site volunteer opportunities for REALTORS® each year.
“I want to congratulate and thank the Austin Board of REALTORS® for making this financial pledge and long-term volunteer commitment through its foundation to help those in Austin who are experiencing homelessness,” State Rep. Sheryl Cole for House District 46, said. “It is an honor to represent a district that is home to Community First! Village, a place dedicated to providing permanent, affordable housing and a strong community for those who have previously been experiencing homelessness. Today is a day to celebrate the kindness inherent in our city, exemplified by the generosity demonstrated by the Austin Board of REALTORS®.”
ABoR has operated a charitable foundation since 1978, providing an avenue for REALTORS® to give back through worthy causes related to housing, education, and disaster relief. In that time, ABoR REALTOR® members have given hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to Central Texas higher education students, built seven homes for fellow Austinites through Austin Habitat for Humanity, and donated critical disaster relief funding through the American Red Cross. This long-term partnership with Mobile Loaves & Fishes and its Community First! Village marks a new chapter in ABoR’s commitment to expanding access to housing for all Central Texans.
The Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR) is a nonprofit organization that has been serving the needs of Austin REALTORS® and consumers for more than 90 years. ABoR provides technology, education and advocacy for more than 13,000 members, as well as monthly housing market reports for Travis, Hays, Williamson, Bastrop and Caldwell counties. ABoR’s market reports include the most accurate multiple listing service (MLS) findings for the Austin area. For more information, contact the ABoR public relations team at abor@echristianpr.com or 512-454-7636. For the latest local housing market listings, visit AustinHomeSearch.com.
About Community First! Village
Community First! The village is a 51-acre master-planned development that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. A development of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, this transformative residential program exists to love and serve its neighbors who have been living on the streets, while also empowering the surrounding community into a lifestyle of service with the homeless. Learn more about Community First! Village.