Introduction
Community engagement is foundational to ensuring that the Community Resilience Hub is trusted, responsive, and utilized. The features, services, and programs offered by Hubs should reflect the lived experiences, unique strengths, and evolving needs of the communities they serve–before, during, and after a disaster. A thoughtful and intentional approach to community engagement can create meaningful, accessible, and equitable opportunities for historically marginalized and underrepresented voices to directly shape the design and purpose of the Hub to meet their needs and priorities.
Module Purpose
This module provides guidance for the Engagement Lead (defined in Module 1, Step 3) on creating an Engagement Strategy that will help the Working Group gather input and feedback from the community on what resources and services a Community Resilience Hub should provide. It also outlines strategies to achieve other engagement goals set by the Project Team. This module emphasizes the importance of elevating historically marginalized voices in the Community Resilience Hub development process. This inclusive approach not only ensures that the Hub reflects community priorities but also builds trust and strengthens community ownership over Hub development and its long-term success.
Refer to the Outreach Guide for more information and specific methods on how to implement equitable outreach and engagement.
Key Steps Involved
1. Define Engagement Goals. Identify the key information, input, and feedback needed from the community to inform Hub development. This includes community-specific assets, strengths, vulnerabilities, and needs foundational to informing the resources and services the Community Resilience Hub should provide. The Engagement Lead should understand the community’s preferred outreach and communication methods based on past engagement experiences to determine how information and feedback will be best collected. Clearly articulating what, how, and when community input will be collected, including before initial design, during Hub development, and after services are implemented, will guide engagement strategies and ensure alignment with community needs.
2. Identify Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and Nonprofit Partners. As trusted entities with established relationships with the local communities they serve, CBOs and nonprofits act as important bridges for inclusive and effective engagement. Identify local CBOs that regularly engage community members, particularly those representing vulnerable or frontline populations that the Hub intends to serve. Invite these organizations to join the Working Group to provide insights into community needs and vulnerabilities, highlight existing services and programs relied upon by community members, and to co-lead or support outreach efforts. If possible, provide stipends to compensate CBOs for their time supporting community engagement and Hub development. Partnering with trusted community-serving organizations can help surface critical insights and deepen community connections throughout the Hub development process.
3. Leverage Existing Opportunities for Engagement. Many communities have recently voiced concerns with engagement fatigue, often stemming from uncoordinated outreach efforts where agencies and organizations host one-off events or surveys driven by singular goals. To minimize engagement fatigue, work with CBO and agency partners to identify existing community events, gatherings, or programs where engagement for the Community Resilience Hub can naturally occur. These may include farmer’s markets, neighborhood association meetings, cultural festivals, or routine service events, such as food distribution programs or health clinics. These venues can provide organic touchpoints to share information, gather input, and build relationships with community members in familiar, accessible settings.
4. Design Inclusive and Accessible Engagement Methods. In addition to leveraging existing opportunities for engagement, identify engagement methods that can effectively reach diverse community members to solicit targeted input and feedback. Consider a variety of methods including hosting workshops or listening sessions, convening focus groups tailored to specific populations (e.g., seniors, youth, or non-English speakers), conducting community surveys, canvassing and door-to-door outreach, and utilizing social media for outreach campaigns. For any and all methods employed, address common barriers to participation. This includes providing multilingual materials or interpretation to address language access barriers, offering childcare services during events, using assistive technologies for individuals with disabilities, maintaining cultural sensitivity in program design and outreach, and scheduling events at times that accommodate working individuals and families.
5. Reflect Community Input Back to the Public. Clearly demonstrating how community input has informed decision-making and the design of the Community Resilience Hub can help to build trust and reinforce community ownership. Develop a process to maintain ongoing transparency and accountability by summarizing feedback collected and sharing findings through accessible formats in a timely manner. These may include email updates or newsletters, published reports or fact sheets, or presentations at community meetings or town halls. Communication methods should be guided by lessons learned throughout community engagement efforts to continue addressing both well-known and newly surfaced communication barriers – from language accessibility to digital accessibility and more.
Resources
Step 3: Leverage Existing Opportunities for Engagement
Step 4: Design Inclusive and Accessible Engagement Methods