How lifesaving resiliency hubs could end under Trump

A Black church in Atlanta's Cascade neighborhood has operated a community center for decades, providing essential services to predominantly Black families. The center has been renovated with the help of the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark climate law, and is now the first community-owned resiliency hub in the city. The Vicars Community Center is equipped with solar panels and battery storage, allowing it to provide energy for three days in the event of a blackout. The center serves as an emergency shelter and offers services such as food, medical care, and phone charging. The solar panels also reduce planet-warming emissions and save the center $6,000 a year in energy costs. The project was made possible by a partnership between the church and the clean energy nonprofit Groundswell, which helped secure $225,000 in philanthropic funding. The center's services are particularly important in the Cascade neighborhood, where residents suffer from higher rates of asthma, heart disease, and lower life expectancy. The church plans to expand its services, including its food pantry, which fed 32,000 people last year. The project serves as a model for community-owned, small-scale solar projects and demonstrates the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on local communities. Despite concerns about the law's future under the new administration, the team in Atlanta is confident that the project will continue to benefit the community.