Across Georgia, a quiet but powerful idea is taking root, one that blends faith, community, and climate resilience in a way that could transform how we prepare for future storms. Rather than starting from scratch, communities are looking to houses of worship that already serve their communities during crises, places that distribute food, offer shelter, or provide a place to gather. The goal is to equip these spaces with infrastructure like solar power and battery storage so they can continue operating during and after disasters.

In an effort to support local houses of worship, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) launched their Resilience Hub Program in early 2026, and this is exactly the kind of locally led approach that Courtney Reich, the Coastal Director at the Georgia Conservancy and the Georgia Climate Ready America Navigator, helps communities pursue. Courtney is a climate resilience Navigator, part of the Climate Ready America Southeast Demonstration Project led by led by Geos Institute and supported by the Walmart Foundation.

For Courtney, the question is simple: “Why have we not been doing this all along? There are so many houses of worship, and they are everywhere, especially in the South,” she explained. “And when something happens, a hurricane or a flood, it is often the local church, synagogue, or mosque that people turn to first. They are already serving their communities. This model just helps them expand those services with more support.”

The effort expands on Georgia Interfaith Power and Light’s (GIPL) longstanding “Creation Care” programs, which help faith communities reduce their environmental impact through solar energy, water conservation, and tree-planting. Now, with climate resilience hubs in mind, the focus shifts to readiness. That means building trusted, familiar places that can also provide services like phone charging, water distribution, meals, or even daycare during heat waves.

“It is just a sensible approach,” said Reich. “Rather than create a whole separate network of buildings, would it not make more sense to support houses of worship in doing what they are already doing, and just improve their ability to do it during a crisis?”

One of the most promising aspects of this model is its adaptability. Not every climate resilience hub needs to look the same. In some places, it might be a church kitchen that’s now equipped to serve hot meals even when the power goes out. In others, it could be a synagogue that becomes a shelter during a winter storm, or a mosque that provides daycare on weekdays and air-conditioned refuge on hot weekends.

And while it’s still early days, the groundwork is already being laid. The Georgia Navigator team and GIPL are currently developing materials, building partnerships, and engaging local governments and nonprofits like the Red Cross to shape the rollout. Counties are showing interest, and conversations are already underway about pilot sites and funding.

McIntosh County, for instance, has identified childcare as a major community need, one that could be addressed through a “blue sky” use of a climate resilience hub. “What better than a church or a synagogue to do that?” Reich pointed out. “Nobody’s using that building many days of the week. So it’s available. And it already has the trust of the community.”

That trust is critical. In many rural or under-resourced areas, houses of worship may be the only stable institution in the neighborhood, especially as post offices close and grocery stores consolidate. They are also multilingual, multigenerational, and deeply embedded. And that’s what makes them such powerful platforms for climate resilience work.

“Resilience hubs aren’t just for after a storm,” Reich emphasized. “They’re for every day. The goal is to support services that make the community stronger right now, so when the next shock comes, people are already connected and supported.”

There’s also a cost-efficiency benefit. Compared to building new disaster-response infrastructure, equipping existing buildings with solar panels and emergency-ready systems can be significantly cheaper and faster, especially when federal climate resilience dollars are available. The hope is that, as the model matures and gains traction, it can be replicated not just across Georgia but nationally.

“This could scale. That’s what’s so exciting about it,” Reich said. “It’s a model that meets people where they are, in the places they already go, with the people they already trust.”

The Georgia Conservancy, as part of Climate Ready America, a national initiative led by the Geos Institute, is leading the way in climate readiness. Through this work, Navigators like Courtney Reich and their partners are helping communities turn trusted places into anchors of daily strength and disaster readiness. And in a world where climate events are becoming more frequent and more intense, having trusted sanctuaries ready to serve, both in times of peace and crisis, may be one of the most powerful tools we have.