Two hundred homeless seniors in Texas will soon have a roof over their heads thanks to this nonprofit raising more than $2 million in donations.

Earlier this week, the Housing First Community Coalition (HFCC) announced that it had successfully raised the funds for its new 17-acre Towne Twin Village community that will provide housing and support services for seniors in San Antonio experiencing long-term homelessness.

The community will house 200 individuals who are 50 years or older and be the city's first single-site Housing First – Permanent Supportive Housing property.

The Towne Twin Village community will feature apartments, 350-400 square foot tiny houses, RV park, community garden, picnic areas, art studio, pet park, pet rescue facility, chapel, and an outdoor amphitheater for movies, musical performances, and theatrical events.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Annual Point-In-Time and Housing Inventory Count evidentially supports that Housing First is a proven model that has helped reduce homelessness nationwide by 13% between 2010 and 2017.

According to the Interagency Council on Homelessness, providing supportive housing opportunities to people with the most intense needs, communities spent much less on preventable costs for public programs as well as on shelters, jails, ambulances, and emergency rooms. Other benefits to the San Antonio community will include the redevelopment of a 17-acre vacant property into a beautiful community asset, employing dozens of construction workers for months, and creating multiple jobs long-term.

The Housing First model employs evidence-based practices to streamline connections to housing opportunities and to provide people with the appropriate level of services to support their long-term housing stability.

Mark Wittig, HFCC chairman, stated: "Our vision is to develop a housing community where everyone is cherished. The community will provide permanent housing and assistance to meet the needs of seniors experiencing long-term homelessness in San Antonio and develop a community that offers safety, stability, dignity, and purpose."

In addition to housing, the community and its partners will provide concentrated support services including case management, job training, professional counseling, legal advocacy, and health care to help residents pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. The community will include approximately 200 units (mostly efficiencies) and 25 units for peer volunteers. A low-barrier Housing First model will be used in selecting housing applicants and supporting residents. Applicants will be prioritized according to their vulnerability index (age, duration of homelessness, additional risk factors, disabilities, and high utilization of city services).

"HFCC aims to serve chronically homeless vulnerable people as they outnumber chronically homeless families by 36 to 1," said Alice Salinas, senior program manager of San Antonio Local Initiative Support Corporation.

"Our goal is to restore dignity and to build a therapeutic community that will promote the flourishing of natural support systems through socialization and development of friendship with volunteers, neighbors, and other residents."

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