Robust social systems are one of the themes of the Colorado Resiliency Framework. The adage “Disruptions begin and end locally,” rings true, and it is imperative to support the capacity of local communities to plan for, respond to, and recover from disruption events. This also requires a comprehensive understanding of the diversity of needs and values in communities across our state, as well as the ability to provide access to a broad range of technical assistance, resources, and tools to support local resiliency efforts. The strategies outlined in this Priority Implementation Area aim to cultivate and strengthen social systems and better develop local capacity in the face of changing conditions.
Community Capacity Strategies
Strategy 1: Integrate equity into resilience planning and actions.
Strategy 2: Develop and deploy community engagement and civic capacity tools.
Strategy 3: Strengthen local planning and peer networks.
Continued Collaboration for Recovery Coordination
Disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity, and 2024 was no exception; here in our state, as well as nationally, as we witnessed the devastation from hurricanes Helene and Milton. The State continues to prioritize recovery coordination and technical assistance for local communities to plan for recovery.
In 2024, the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) and the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) worked closely with other State agencies and local partners on several recovery initiatives, including a multi-agency Wildfire Recovery Tabletop Exercise (TTX). The exercise provided an opportunity for in-depth conversation regarding the areas of recovery necessary after wildfire in Colorado and how agencies can collaborate with each other to best serve Colorado’s communities.
The State hosted three Regional Recovery Symposiums, led by the DHSEM Recovery Section in the North Central Region, South/Southeast Regions, and the San Luis Valley Region. The symposiums provided disaster recovery-centric training geared towards emergency managers and those who have a role in disaster recovery at the local level.
Many bills passed in 2024 related to community planning and land use (see the Housing Priority Implementation Area for more detail on specific legislation) to better support the strategic growth and housing in our state. There is no doubt that addressing the challenge takes a team approach at all levels of government, and to support the new land use legislation, the DOLA Division of Local Government’s Community Development Office (CDO) rolled out the following to support local government capacity in 2024:
- Hosting a monthly land use implementation engagement webinar to cover the new legislation in depth, review draft or newly developed implementation tools, receive feedback, and answer questions;
- Hosting a monthly peer exchange series for local governments working on affordable housing strategies and land use issues. This work supports a peer learning group primarily comprised of local government planning departments;
- Administering the Proposition Local Planning Capacity grant program, which to date, has supported many local planning departments in adding capacity through housing/planning liaisons, expedited review staff, permitting software, and more to prioritize development of affordable housing.
Historically underserved communities have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change, and it is imperative that their voices are amplified in planning and decision-making processes as it relates to climate action.
- In 2024, the Environmental Justice Action Task Force published Community Engagement, Outreach, and Public Participation Best Practices, which outlines several key best practices to engage diverse individuals and communities in actions that impact public health and the environment.
- Hearing directly from local communities helps us all to better understand the true extent of the social, economic, and public health impacts of climate change. The Colorado EnviroScreen tool was developed as a way to better map disproportionately impacted communities, and includes a feature that shares stories directly from community members about their experience. 2024 includes the addition of a Story Map that was done in collaboration with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.
- Progress continues to be made on implementation of the Colorado Community Engagement Toolkit. In 2024, the toolkit was used by the Safe Routes Partnership, a nonprofit organization, in partnership with state and local partners to help inform the implementation and development of safe routes to parks actions plans and apply lessons learned.
- CDPHE continues to expand the Disaster Behavioral Health (DBH) Capacity Building program aimed at growing local capacity to address the psychosocial impacts of disasters on the community. This program, in partnership with the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program and the SAMHSA Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, funds 25 community partners to improve their capabilities and capacities to address psychosocial impacts of disasters, public health emergencies, and community crises. Additionally, the DBH program facilitates the Community Inclusion in Colorado (CICO) workgroup and mapping resources, which share inclusive connections, skills, and resources with local and state emergency partners for more equitable and human-focused resilience and disaster outcomes.
- The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) launched an equity training for staff and associated equity outreach plan for the statewide transportation planning process to ensure that equitable engagement is integrated.
- In addition to the progress made at the State level to support local disaster recovery planning, the Colorado Resiliency Office hired a new Recovery Manager position in 2024, who is interfacing with other State agencies such as the Office of Emergency Management to identify gaps and develop solutions for recovery coordination.