Support the plan to build the High Deserts Center for learning, cultural enrichment, civic participation, and emergency preparedness, response & recovery.
About the Program
The Community Resilience Centers (CRC) Program (“CRC Program”) is part of the state’s Climate Budget Package, which totaled over $15 billion, to tackle wildfire and drought challenges, build more resilient communities, promote sustainable agriculture, and advance a nation-leading climate agenda. It allocated $100 million to SGC over two rounds for the CRC Program. Senate Bill (SB) 155 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 258, Statutes of 2021) created SGC’s CRC program with “funding…for the construction or retrofit of facilities to serve as community resilience centers that mitigate the public health impacts of extreme heat and other emergency situations exacerbated by climate change.” Enabling statute names specific functions for resilience centers, including: hydration stations, cooling centers, clean air centers, respite centers, and community evacuation and emergency response centers.
Our Vision
We envision an empowered community that will , design, construct, and activate the former High Desert Outreach Center as a CRC where city leadership, residents, and community partners work together to conduct culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach, design accessible programs and systems, and develop networks to build climate and community resilience. We envision a space with a community garden to promote food security, a heating/cooling center, and space for emergency shelter and feeding.
Our Mission
We will rehabilitate this site to become a one-stop-shop for learning, cultural enrichment, civic participation, and emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. We will develop a body of empowered leadership from Adelanto’s most vulnerable communities who understand climate and community resilience, coordinate with partners, and lead during a crisis. We will build a sustainable future that includes a net-zero carbon economy, safe water, clean air, and resources to address extreme heat and other climate-related risks.
Our 4 Pillars
Political Education
Accessible education and trainings that build knowledge, preparedness, and community leadership.
Cultural Enrichment
Programs and gatherings that celebrate culture, strengthen connection, and support community belonging.
Civic Engagement
Resources and opportunities that support engagement in local decision making and leadership.
Community Emergency Preparedness
A trusted space for cooling, clean air, emergency support, and recovery during climate related events.
A History
of Adelanto
Adelanto is a city located in the High Desert region of San Bernardino County with a population of 34,362 people. According to the 2020 census, the city is 67.9% Latinx with a significant black population at 17.3%. The percentage of the population that lives in poverty is 21%, while 11.9% of the population has a disability, and 12.7% under 65 do not have health insurance. Adelanto is a relatively young community with 33.3% of the population under 18. This project will serve the city of Adelanto with a focus on North Adelanto which includes census tracts 91.17 & 91.16 identified as priority communities. These census tracts have a lower median income than the city as a whole at $27,000 and $37,000 respectively. This data shows that the city consists of several different priority population groups and qualifies as a high-need and high-priority area.
Adelanto has faced economic challenges, including a history of financial instability. The city has contended with budget deficits and strained public services. Educational attainment levels in Adelanto have been lower than the state average. The city’s demographic makeup has been influenced by its proximity to correctional facilities, which have brought in a transient population of both inmates and employees. Maintaining and upgrading infrastructure, including roads and utilities and ensuring that residents have access to essential services like healthcare are challenges.
The Adelanto community has a history of building community resilience in response to these challenges through participatory research, community organizing, and civic participation. In recent years, two powerful community-led groups have emerged with the support of co-applicants ICIJ and CCAEJ: Unidos Por un Mejor Adelanto and the Water Justice Coalition. Community residents have built strong relationships and trust that helped them to craft a unique vision for climate resilience that includes water quality, sustainable jobs, clean air, and cooling centers for extreme heat. Local organizations serving Adelanto built trust and collaborative capacity through census outreach in 2019 and 2020. Recently, organizations have built trust through climate resilience projects: the Water Quality Report and the Adelanto Climate Vulnerability Report. Through this work, community members have identified a vision to improve water quality that includes a community-based water monitoring system and improving quality standards and replacing infrastructure. All of this has laid the groundwork for the city, residents, and other stakeholders to continue to build community and climate resilience
Read the
Adelanto Water Justice Report
A community-led report documenting water quality concerns in Adelanto and outlining paths toward water justice.
Get Involved
Adelanto Ambassador Program
A community leadership program that trains local residents to share information, build trust, and connect neighbors to resources and services.
High Desert Community needs Assessment
A community driven effort to identify local needs, gaps, and priorities to inform programs, services, and long-term planning in the High Desert.
Our Partners
Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice
