Community Resilience Hub

Resilience Hub

Funds to purchase the Resilience Hub are as follows:

  • $1M from the American Rescue Plan Act loss revenue funds that the city took in (federal)
  • $85,631.57 from Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds (federal)
  • $450,113.19 from CDBG (CV) -  additional CDBG money that came as part of CARES Act funding (federal)
  • $1,405,044.89 from Cannabis Community Impact Fees
  • $234,210.35 from Gifts and Donations

Resilience Hub Meetings

DONATIONS to support build-out may be made HERE. Please specify how you would like your donation to be used.

Northampton is working to create a Community Resilience Hub to support Northampton residents who face chronic and acute stress due to natural and human-caused disasters, climate change, and social and economic challenges. Our mission is to:

  • Support the daily needs of those experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty (e.g., homeless, Single Room Occupancy residents, those living in extreme poverty, and those facing other chronic stress- 1% of the population).
  • Support poverty alleviation and connection to services (15% of the population is below the poverty line and 40% is housing-burdened).
  • Support the needs of all community members during times of disaster and acute stress, and improve emergency management.
  • Provide a regular meeting and event space.
  • Help address climate change, enhance community resilience, and support our communities to become more self-determining, socially connected, and successful in the long term. 

During normal times (which continue to be times of stress for frontline communities):

  • The Community Resilience Hub’s primary role is to coordinate resource distribution and services as a consolidated entry point for the frontline line communities. The ServiceNet Resource Center, the Northampton Recovery Center, Forbes Library, and some of our coffee shops and public restaurants serve some of these roles today, but they are not sufficient. The Hub will supplement the emergency sheltering role of Smith Vocational School and Northampton High School during acute events.
  • The Community Resilience Hub must also support and gain the support of all populations so it is ready to pivot to meet their needs during times of disaster. (For example, arts programming spaces.)

During acute stress, major disruptions and recovery (e.g., a major storm, disaster, or pandemic):

  • The Community Resilience Hub must serve all residents and coordinate distribution and services in preparation for, during, and in recovery from major disruptions. The Hub must provide dependable services, including communications, power, water, sanitation, and consolidated entry to required services.

In 2020, the city convened a working group of city agencies and social service providers for the initial planning stage. The city supported the planning, site selection, and site acquisition, with final programming and operations being performed by social service agencies.

  • City departments supporting the planning effort: Mayor's Office, Planning & Sustainability, Health & Human Services, Central Services, Forbes Library, Police, and Veterans Services.
  • Social service agencies supporting the planning effort: Community Action Pioneer Valley, Cathedral in the Night, Center for Human Development, Collaborative for Educational Services-Trauma Informed Hampshire County, Cooley Dickinson Health Services, Community Legal Aid, Eliot CHS Homeless Services, Northampton Resource Center, ServiceNet, Tapestry, United Way, Valley Community Development, Western Massachusetts Housing First, First Churches, and Friends of Hampshire Homelessness.

Community Action Pioneer Valley, with the support of those participating in the planning working group, agreed to be the lead agency managing and coordinating the Hub. Other critical partners who will help manage programs, subject to working out the details, include Manna Community Kitchen, and Eliot CHS Homeless Services. 

Planning the Northampton Resilience Hub (PDF) In the first phase of the project, the city hired Jones Whitsett Architects to coordinate the planning of the space with the city, social service, and civic partners. The Hub is currently under construction at 298 Main Street.