Community Corps Program

Community Corps Program

About Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) is a social outreach ministry that has been empowering communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless since 1998. Founded in Austin, Texas, the organization serves its homeless neighbors through three core programs: Truck Ministry, Community First! Village, and Community Works. Often referred to as the most talked about neighborhood in Austin, Community First! 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. We are now embarking on a new phase of community expansion, adding more than 1400 new neighbors over the next 5-10 years.

About the Program

Mobile Loaves & Fishes exists to empower communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless. As part of this vision, the Community Corps program offers participants the opportunity to live and serve in proximity to the formerly homeless neighbors of Community First! Village, engaging in a relational, community-first approach where transformation happens through belonging. We believe housing alone will never solve homelessness, but community will.

Community Corps program participants will contribute to the daily life and operations of Community First! Village by living on-site and serving alongside staff, volunteers and neighbors in areas such as Neighbor Care, Property Management, Site Operations, Community Empowerment, Relationships and Giving, and Replication. Through consistent presence and shared work, participants help cultivate a community where people are known, valued, and supported.

The ideal candidate for this program is a relational, mission-driven individual who desires to grow personally and spiritually while living in an intentional community. This individual demonstrates humility, adaptability, and a willingness to serve in both structured and unstructured environments. They are comfortable engaging with individuals from diverse backgrounds, committed to building authentic relationships, and open to the journey of their own personal growth and transformation. The right candidate is aligned with MLF's vision, mission, core values, and goals, and is motivated to contribute to a culture that prioritizes relational connection in a highly transactional world.

Community Corps members will live and work at Community First! Village located at 9301 Hog Eye Road, Austin, TX 78724.

Participant Expectations

• Participate fully in the life of the Community Corps program, including service, formation, and community living rhythms.
• Serve in assigned program areas across Community First! Village.
• Build authentic, respectful relationships with neighbors, volunteers, staff, and visitors.
• Contribute to the daily operations, upkeep, and hospitality of Community First! Village.
• Welcome and engage volunteers, guests, and visitors in a spirit of hospitality.
• Attend and actively engage in meetings, formation opportunities, and training opportunities.
• Collaborate with staff and fellow participants to address challenges and create solutions.
• Maintain flexibility and willingness to support events, special projects, and emerging organizational needs.
• Represent and uphold the mission, vision, and culture of MLF in all interactions.

Qualities of the Ideal Participant

• MLF is a faith-based organization whose ideals and philosophy come directly from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As an organization, we strive to reflect this precept in our communications, both internally and externally.
• Commitment to serving those who have experienced homelessness and personal alignment with MLF's vision, mission, core values, and goals.
• Understanding of or willingness to learn about homelessness, poverty, and community-based solutions.
• Familiarity with or openness to relational ministry and community-building practices.
• General awareness of nonprofit or mission-driven organizational environments (preferred).
• Strong interpersonal and relational skills with the ability to connect across diverse populations.
• Effective communication and active listening skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in team-oriented environments.
• Problem-solving skills and adaptability in dynamic, hands-on settings.
• Ability to engage others in a respectful, dignifying, and non-judgmental manner.
• Willingness to live and serve in an intentional community environment.
• Emotional maturity and resilience in complex social environments.
• Ability to perform physical tasks as needed (e.g., outdoor work, lifting, event setup).
• Commitment to personal growth and openness to feedback.
• Must be 21+ to apply.

Learning Opportunities

• Hands-on experience at a nationally-renowned non-profit organization operating at the intersection of innovation, community collaboration, and social impact.
• Opportunities for formal training in the Community First! Model and MLF Culture.
• Opportunities for formal training in techniques and best practices for navigating individuals struggling with behavioral disorders, mental disabilities, PTSD and substance abuse.
• Opportunities for mentorship and feedback from experienced staff.
• Book studies led by MLF staff and partners for the purpose of professional development.

Program Information

• Length of program: 11-12 months, depending on participant availability and program placement, beginning August 2026
• Includes on-site housing in a microhome (single occupancy) and a stipend of $1,500 per month for each participant

Application Requirements

As part of the application process, candidates are required to submit a short essay in PDF format along with their resume.

Essay Prompt:

Mobile Loaves & Fishes exists to empower communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless, prioritizing relationships over transactions. Why are you interested in participating in Community Corps, how does this opportunity connect to your own personal sense of purpose, and how do you hope this experience will shape you?

Instructions:

• Complete your essay in a document and upload as a PDF with your resume
• Length: 500–750 words
• Tone: Personal, reflective, and specific
• Guidance: We value honesty and self-awareness over "right answers."

Possible Program Placements

• Neighbor Care
  • Assist new neighbors with their transition and integration into CFV
  • Assist neighbors with a wide range of possible resources and support
• Community Empowerment 
  • Support the coordination, stewardship, and empowerment of volunteers
  • Support tours, events, and other activities that engage the public in our vision
• Property Management
  • Support neighbors in the overall management of the home
  • Support the overall safety for our staff and neighbors throughout the Village
• Replication
  • Support the service and stewardship of external guests and stakeholders who are exploring replicating the Community First model in their own communities
• Relationships & Giving
  • Support the R&G team through research, process improvement, donation processing, and more
  • Support the cultivation and stewardship of potential and current donors through tours and events
• Site Operations
  • Support the dignity for our neighbors and our community through the groundskeeping and beautification of the Village
  • Support the stewardship and hosting of volunteers and volunteer projects

Environment & Physical Demands

• Ability to work outside in all weather conditions.
• Ability to frequently move, transport and position 50lbs throughout day.
• Ability to move about all phases of Community First! Village properties freely and comfortably.
• Ability to drive Golf Cart or ATV.

MLF VISION

We empower communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless.

MLF MISSION

We provide food and clothing, cultivate community, and promote dignity to our homeless brothers and sisters in need.

GOALS

• Transform the way people view the stereotype of those who find themselves homeless
• Reconnect the homeless to self, family and community
• Help the chronically homeless rediscover and utilize their God-given talents to do purposeful work
• Connect human to human, heart to heart through the fellowship of food and hospitality
• Inspire people into a lifestyle of abundance by giving their best first

BELIEF STATEMENTS

The vision is supported by belief statements centered on our belief that homelessness is the result of a profound, catastrophic loss of family:

• God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life
• By virtue of being created by God in His image, we are all called to live in community and relationship with Him through each other
• The family is the original cell of social life
• You shall love your neighbor as yourself
• All members of the human family are equal in dignity
• The Lord God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it. Gen 2:15

CORE VALUES

MLF is committed to fostering a culture that prioritizes relational connection. We believe there is opportunity in every aspect of our work to be relational in a highly transactional world. In this culture, transactions are means to relational ends, not the other way around.​

​​This begins with the countercultural love poured out by Jesus Christ and grows as imperfect individuals strive to show this love to each other human-to-human, heart-to-heart.​

​​Each individual's openness to the journey of their own personal growth is essential in building our relational culture, and we believe this culture flourishes as we each continuously strive to more fully embody these four core values:

• Faith: We define Faith as the foundational belief that our world and all our work belong to God. This allows us to engage our work with joy and lightheartedness, knowing that we are not ultimately in control.
• Humility: We define Humility as rightly viewing oneself as a single piece of a grander story. This humility leads to a view of oneself that is neither too high nor too low.
• Generous Spirit: We define a Generous Spirit as a readiness to give more grace, mercy, and hospitality than is necessary or expected. This posture allows us to see others for who they are, not what they do.
• Integrity: We define Integrity as a wholehearted commitment to doing right by God, ourselves, and others. This wholeheartedness shows itself in consistently choosing honesty, responsibility and ownership in all actions and decisions.