Our Story

The Far Northeast area of Ward 7 in Washington, DC, which includes neighborhoods along the Watts Branch tributary of the Anacostia River, has for generations contributed to the rich and diverse fabric of the city. Far Northeast Ward 7 remains shaped by its resilience and richness of resources - both in its people and its natural environment.  This geographic focus area was chosen because the District’s climate adaptation plan found that these neighborhoods face high risk from flooding and other impacts of climate change.

Starting in December 2016, the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), in partnership with Georgetown Climate Center (GCC) and Skeo Solutions, engaged residents and community-based organizations of Far Northeast Ward 7 to form an Equity Advisory Group (EAG) later, in 2019, to become the Resilience Hub Community Coalition (RHCC).  DOEE provided technical assistance for the EAG to develop recommendations on how to implement the District’s climate adaptation (Climate Ready DC) and climate mitigation (Clean Energy DC) plans.  The Climate Ready DC plan is the District’s effort to prepare for the potential consequences of the changing climate, including more heatwaves, severe weather and flooding.  The Clean Energy DC plan provides a roadmap for the District to shift D.C. 's power grid and supply towards cleaner energy sources to cut pollution, save money, and create jobs.  

From January 2017 to June 2018, the EAG met monthly to develop recommendations that provide guidance on how to take action on climate change and related core concerns in ways that are equitable and supportive of the interests of the local community.  The EAG deliberated in earnest about how strategies could not only align core community needs with climate resilience and clean energy programs, but also create additional opportunities for Ward 7 residents.  The EAG process piloted new methods to engage residents in an equitable and inclusive manner and demonstrated the value of gathering in depth community input on feasibility and implementation and they worked with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) for resilience hub guidelines.

Recommendations from the EAG for how the District could implement key elements of these plans as it related to Far Northeast Ward 7, included the creation of neighborhood-scale resilience hubs; a workforce development program for the resilience economy; and an expanded workforce program for non-college bound youth.  Resilience hubs are community-serving facilities meant to both support residents and coordinate resource distribution and services before, during and after a natural hazard event. The EAG recommended working with a community based organization, the Faunteroy Community Enrichment Center, to build the Pilot Resilience Hub at FCEC, including improvement to the existing building’s infrastructure by converting building operating systems such as installing a solar-powered energy charging station for backup power during emergencies, and facilitating  educational workshops and workforce development resources related to climate change.  

In 2019, the sixteen-member Ward 7 Resilience Hub Community Coalition (RHCC) was formed, including several members of the original EAG group.  With a vision of the future where the Ward 7 community and its ecosystems are healthy and resilient in the face of sudden or  prolonged change, the RHCC met regularly and identified:  key criteria for designing resilience hubs; services that should be offered at hubs; potential sites for hubs; community partners and community assets that could support hubs and potential funding sources. In June 2020, the RHCC published its findings and plans in the Ward 7 Resilience Hub proposal, and selected the Faunteroy Community Enrichment Center (FCEC) as the Pilot hub,  which is available at https://doee.dc.gov/service/community-resilience-hubs and on the F.H. Faunteroy Community Enrichment Center (FCEC) website. The Pilot @FCEC, a member of the RHCC.