Climate Ready Hamilton (CRH) formally called the Community Resilience to Extreme Weather (CREW) Hamilton is a network designed to support its members, who in turn support the people they serve, to be prepared for weather-related emergencies.
The entire community is affected when weather-related emergencies such as extended heatwaves, flooding and power outages, tornadoes and hurricanes strike. The most vulnerable amongst us are impacted the hardest. But neighbourhoods can be more resilient against weather-related emergencies when they have multiple, connected groups and individuals that are prepared ahead of an event.

GOAL OF THE NETWORK
CRH is a network designed to support its members, who in turn support the people they serve, to be prepared for weather-related emergencies. Members of the network contribute their unique expertise toward a plan for a neighbourhood response to extreme weather.

VISION
The CRH Network coordinates and collaborates for the care of our most vulnerable neighbours in preparation for extreme weather emergencies. This network increases the capacity of residents to prepare for and adapt to extreme weather.

NETWORK OPPORTUNITIES
Learn how to prepare your vulnerable neighbours/clients for any weather emergencies
Participate in training sessions
Learn from and share information with network members
Help with outreach at activities, events, workshops and outreach tables
Share volunteers. Share resources.

Huge thanks to the AMAZING CityLabSir 2019 students who helped us with a new logo, materials, and website. Check it out, it's lovely:

https://climatereadyhamilton.weebly.com/

Please visit CREW Hamilton Network for more information: https://crewhamilton.weebly.com/

Background

Originally called CREW Hamilton, CRH is a network that emerged from The Lighthouse Project a 2018 pilot of Faith & the Common Good, that worked in the three cities of Hamilton, Brampton and Toronto to encourage the conversation around extreme weather preparedness and the role of faith communities as neighbourhood resilience hubs. Environment Hamilton was the Hamilton partner. We rolled out the project in the wonderful Beasley Neighbourhood!

This pilot used community engagement strategies to promote local multi-stakeholder networks or resilience hubs. These contribute to extreme weather preparedness: before, during and after an event.

Three ideas that contribute to local climate resilience:

1: Faith communities engage in both community service and care for the environment. As familiar landmarks in vulnerable neighbourhoods they have the facilities and networks that make them the ideal sites or catalysts for 'resilience hubs.'
2: Neighbourhoods are most resilient when residents know each other, have multiple active networks, care for their vulnerable neighbours and have committed and tangible external supports.
3: Every community is different; this pilot will first ask what concerns are central to each. The answers to that question will inform outreach strategies, processes and goals. Each community-led pilot will be relevant and distinct to its own needs.

Please visit the Lighthouse Project website for past information on this phase of the project.