Community Resilience Hubs makes progress in the Oregon legislature
On March 22, environmental justice advocates from across the state testified to the House Committee for Climate, Energy and Environment in support of HB 2990 to help Oregon communities prepare for and respond to climate disasters. Introduced by Rep. Pam Marsh and Rep. Khanh Pham, the bill would fund the creation of community-designed and operated centers known as community resilience hubs.
On March 29, HB 2990 passed the House Climate, Energy and Environment Committee, due in large part to the environmental justice advocates and community members who traveled to Salem to testify in favor of this bill.
“In Oregon, we look out for our neighbors,” Gloria Ochoa-Sandoval, political director at Unite Oregon. “Community resilience hubs will allow Oregonians to connect and help each other before, during and after a wildfire, heat wave, climate disaster, or other disaster or disruption.”
HB 2990 allows communities across the state to design the programming and support that they need most. In some areas, community resilience hubs may offer a cool place during extreme heat, while others may provide emergency beds during a wildfire evacuation, mental health services, or warmth and safety during power outages from freezing weather.
“By creating and maintaining places to gather and care for each other in good times and bad, we strengthen our bonds and build trust within the community,” said Alessandra de la Torre, advocacy and programs director at Rogue Climate. “In Southern Oregon, with temperatures on the rise, a decade-long drought, and an ongoing pandemic, it couldn’t be more imperative to build community-led networks of support.”
Joel Iboa, executive director of Oregon Just Transition Alliance, said that all Oregonians are impacted by the climate crisis, but Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, low-income people, people with disabilities, and people in rural areas often experience the climate crisis ‘first and worst.’
The next step is for it to make its way to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, where they will determine the amount of funding for Community Resilience Hubs.
