Project Guide
This chapter is about how to work with residents, trusted groups, and neighborhood leaders to shape a community clean-energy project or CCRH.
Understanding and involving the community is central to every successful resilience hub project. Before building assessments, funding applications, or technical planning can begin, project teams must establish trust with residents, gather meaningful input, and understand local priorities. This work shapes every decision that follows.
The Community Engagement phase focuses on designing and carrying out outreach that is inclusive, accessible, and aligned with how the community already communicates. Strong engagement ensures the project reflects real needs, builds the relationships that sustain the work over time, and demonstrates to funders that the project is grounded in community benefit.
This phase covers outreach strategy, materials development, climate education, community meetings and listening sessions, partnership building, and how to gather and apply insights. The tools in this section help project teams move from intention to action, using templates drawn from active CCRH projects in Massachusetts.
Define Engagement Goals
Before contacting residents, establish internal alignment on what you want to learn and how community input will inform decisions.
- Define goals. What information do you need from the community? What decisions require public input?
- Identify who should participate. Residents, tenants, seniors, local businesses, community organizations.
- Set engagement values. Inclusive, language-accessible, culturally relevant engagement.
- Decide the participation model. Inform → consult → co-design.
This preparation ensures outreach efforts gather meaningful input and avoid confusion later.
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Community Engagement Survey
A short questionnaire used to gather resident priorities and concerns related to energy, resilience, and community facilities.
Choose Outreach Methods
Select outreach strategies that meet residents where they already gather and communicate in accessible ways.
- Use simple materials. Flyers, posters, and short surveys.
- Leverage trusted locations. Community centers, libraries, schools, and local businesses.
- Use multiple channels. Email, text outreach, social media, and in-person events.
- Reduce participation barriers. Provide childcare, translation, or small incentives when possible.
Combining multiple outreach methods helps reach a broader and more representative group of residents.
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Food Drive Flyer
A simple outreach flyer that can be adapted to promote community events, engagement sessions, or project information.
Educate Residents on Climate Change
Helping residents understand why the project matters starts with helping them understand climate change. A plain-language, multilingual handout gives residents shared context before surveys or meetings — and signals that outreach is accessible, culturally aware, and rooted in real community concerns.
- Explain the basics. How burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases and causes warming, more severe storms, and rising energy costs.
- Connect climate impacts to daily life. Hotter temperatures, worsened air quality, increased disease risk, higher utility bills, and food and housing instability.
- Frame community action. Why responding to climate change is a shared responsibility — and how this project contributes to local resilience and wellbeing.
- Ensure language accessibility. Translate the handout into languages spoken in your community. The template is pre-structured for English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
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Community Climate Change Handout
A plain-language, multilingual handout explaining what climate change is, how it affects health and daily life, and why community-led clean energy action matters. Designed for distribution at outreach events, listening sessions, and door-to-door canvassing.
Build Outreach Materials
Clear and accessible materials help residents understand the project and how they can participate.
- Explain the project simply. What is being proposed and why it matters.
- Highlight community benefits. Cooling, resilience, energy savings, or community space.
- Provide clear participation options. Meeting dates, surveys, or contact information.
- Ensure language accessibility. Translate materials when needed.
Simple visual materials help residents quickly understand the project and encourage participation.
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Community Information Poster
A visual outreach tool that explains the project and invites residents to participate in engagement activities.
Identify Community Partners
Trusted local partners can help ensure engagement efforts reach a broader and more diverse group of residents.
- Work with community-based organizations. Nonprofits, neighborhood groups, and advocacy organizations.
- Engage local institutions. Schools, libraries, faith groups, and senior centers.
- Identify community leaders. Individuals who residents already trust.
- Collaborate on outreach. Partners can host meetings, distribute materials, and gather feedback.
Early collaboration helps ensure engagement activities are culturally appropriate and locally relevant.
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Project Narrative
A visual outreach tool that explains the project and invites residents to participate in engagement activities.
Host Meetings
Community meetings and listening sessions create space for residents to share ideas, ask questions, and shape project direction.
- Choose accessible locations. Community centers, schools, or familiar neighborhood venues.
- Create space for dialogue. Encourage residents to share experiences and concerns.
- Provide clear project information. Use visuals and plain language.
- Document feedback. Capture key insights and questions raised by participants.
These sessions provide deeper insight into community needs and help build trust throughout the process.
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Community Meeting Guide
A facilitation guide that helps structure productive community meetings and listening sessions.
Community Meeting Slides
A presentation template designed to clearly explain the project and guide discussion during community meetings.
Gather & Analyze Input
Collect and organize feedback gathered through surveys, meetings, and listening sessions.
- Document feedback carefully. Record themes, concerns, and ideas shared by residents.
- Look for patterns. Identify common priorities across engagement activities.
- Highlight community needs. Cooling, air quality, emergency preparedness, or energy affordability.
- Summarize insights clearly. Use findings to inform project planning.
Synthesizing community input helps ensure project decisions reflect real neighborhood priorities.
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Listening Session Template
A structured framework for conducting and documenting community listening sessions.
Share Results
Sharing engagement results builds trust and demonstrates that community input is valued.
- Report back to residents. Share key themes and findings from engagement activities.
- Explain next steps. Show how community feedback will inform the project.
- Use accessible formats. Community meetings, flyers, or short summaries.
- Keep partners informed. Maintain communication with community organizations involved in outreach.
Transparent communication strengthens relationships and encourages continued participation.
Community input gathered during engagement should directly inform the next stage of project development.
- Prioritize community needs. Integrate resident priorities into project design.
- Inform site and program decisions. Use feedback to guide facility features and services.
- Strengthen funding applications. Demonstrate clear community alignment.
- Prepare for technical planning. Use insights to guide site assessments and design decisions.
These insights form the foundation for the next phase: Audit & Design.
Apply Insights
Community input gathered during engagement should directly inform the next stage of project development.
- Prioritize community needs. Integrate resident priorities into project design.
- Inform site and program decisions. Use feedback to guide facility features and services.
- Strengthen funding applications. Demonstrate clear community alignment.
- Prepare for technical planning. Use insights to guide site assessments and design decisions.
These insights form the foundation for the next phase: Audit & Design.
