Santa Ana
Planning the Santa Ana Community Resilience Center (CRC)
Planning Together for Climate Resilience, Community Power, and Economic Justice
The Santa Ana Community Resilience Center (CRC) is not a building yet — it’s a community-led planning effort to imagine what a neighborhood-based resilience center in Santa Ana could look like.
This process is made possible through a planning grant awarded to the collaborative Economía Regenerativa Comunitaria (ERC) by the California Strategic Growth Council’s Community Resilience Centers Program. The funding supports a participatory process that includes:
- A community needs assessment to understand local priorities
- Neighborhood-level planning to explore potential sites and infrastructure
- Education and dialogue around climate resilience and emergency preparedness
This effort is about envisioning a center designed by and for our community — a space that can support our collective response to climate impacts, while also strengthening community ties and long-term economic resilience.
Economía Regenerativa Comunitaria (ERC)
Santa Ana’s Shared Financing for Community Ownership
ERC is a growing collaborative of community stewards creating pathways to economic power in Santa Ana and across Orange County. The CRC planning process is one of the first major initiatives under ERC’s vision, combining community-led planning with climate and economic justice.
ERC is committed to reversing the impacts of disinvestment through:
- Shared financing
- Community ownership
- Cooperative business development
- Sustainable land use
- Climate and environmental justice
At its core, ERC’s approach is rooted in community-driven decision-making and building new models for shared governance and financing that put power in the hands of residents.
Learn more about Economía Regenerativa Comunitaria (ERC)
ERC Partners
ERC is made up of local organizations deeply engaged in building Santa Ana’s future:
CRECE
An urban farming cooperative promoting food sovereignty and climate resilience
Cooperación Santa Ana
A worker cooperative developer supporting economic justice
THRIVE Santa Ana
The city’s first community land trust advancing land stewardship and housing stability
Community Hub de Santa Ana
A grassroots initiative advancing health equity, leadership development, and community ownership; also serves as the main applicant and fiscal steward of the CRC planning grant
UC Irvine Community Resilience
A university-based resource for community-driven climate resilience research, training, and technical support
What We’re Planning For
This grant-funded process invites community members to co-create a vision for a future resilience center that could:
- Provide shelter and resources during climate and health emergencies
- Offer year-round programs focused on preparedness, education, and empowerment
- Create a community hub for organizing, cultural activities, and cooperative development
- Support initiatives in food sovereignty, mutual aid, and environmental justice
This is not a construction project — it’s a community-centered planning process to explore what’s possible and how we can build toward it, together.
