MIDLAND, Texas — After over half a decade of work, The Field's Edge in Midland held its grand opening on August 4.
John-Mark Echols, CEO of The Field's Edge, and his family say they were called to help after working with Church Under the Bridge Ministry back in 2016.
The family has spent the last six years on this labor of love, learning about how tiny home villages work and building a space where the homeless can build relationships and get back on their feet for significantly cheaper than other housing in the area.
To celebrate, the grand opening featured tours of the facility, food trucks, a scavenger hunt and photos with the therapy llamas, Topo Chico and Spurgeon.
Community members also got to write down cards of encouragement for the people moving into the homes.
Echols and his family have said over the years as they've built this neighborhood that they want to emphasize that all people, including the homeless, are made in God's image and that having a community can help to lift them out of their situation.
With the grand opening, The Field's Edge celebrated the opening of its first nine homes as well as a community kitchen, laundry and bathroom building.
The facility also includes the Mabee Foundation Community Center which houses the offices, commissary and some medical exam rooms as well as a multi-purpose gathering space.
Echols and his family will also live on the property themselves.
While the first phase is finished, the Echols family plans for The Field's Edge to contain 90 homes by the time they are done, meaning there is still months of work ahead.
If you are interested in learning more about the community, including how to help or even how to apply for a home, you can visit The Field's Edge website.