South Gate has recently proposed a Community Resiliency Center using funds from the Community Resilience Grant program, part of the California Strategic Growth Council.
The Strategic Growth Council gives out grants to communities in California to fund projects that will support citizens in the current times of rapid climate changes that cause risks like, heatwaves and floods.
Unlike traditional community centers that usually only provide recreation, meeting spaces, or host events, the South Gate Resiliency Center will combine everyday community services with resources that focus on helping residents during times of emergencies.
This will include clean air spaces, cooling centers, and emergency prep. With this, the city will also offer youth programs, job training, health services, and support for small businesses in South Gate.
“I would take advantage of a community center’s resources and services because they can be places to socialize and meet new people and possibly find new hobbies,” said Evelyn Hernandez, a senior from HP.
The center will be open in times of earthquakes, heat waves, and poor air quality to ensure resident safety. Most of the services they plan on offering will be available year-long.
Funding is essential for this project. In August of 2026, South Gate’s city council authorized the city to apply to the Community Resilience Centers grant coming from the state of California’s Strategic Growth Council, or also known as SGC CRC.
The state has around $52 million available for these grants, some individual awards ranging from about $1 million to $10 million.
The SGC CRC will prioritize Californian tribes, diverse communities, and under-resourced communities and is currently in Round 2 for grants.
These funds will also be coming from California’s Climate Bond (Proposition 4). This Climate Bond has $10 billion which will be invested into strengthening communities. Strengthening communities in California includes protecting their drinking water, reducing wildfire and flood risks, restoration of natural places, and expansion into parks and other outdoor spaces. 112 programs and 257 projects are currently involved with this Climate Bond.
“I don’t know if my city has a community center, which is why I believe they are needed because many people in our community struggle with resources.” said Joao Rivera, senior from HP.
South Gate is considering using its former courthouse as the new resiliency center’s location, giving the old building a new purpose. The courthouse is only about 50% done with renovations and is currently waiting on more funding to be able to continue its renovations. While citizens are supportive of the old courthouse’s new purpose, they grow impatient due to its renovation’s delays.
South Gate is still in the application process to gain the grant, this means the final amount of funding for the city is not determined yet.
The application period closes on September 30, 2026 and it will take Winter of 2026 until Spring of 2027 for the SGC staff to evaluate and interview all applicants for the grant. The SGC will announce grant winners during Spring of 2027.
No current public records indicate what specific services residents, partners, and businesses want to receive from the new resiliency center. Community engagement meetings will continue to be carried out to hopefully release a finalized list of programs and resources officially planned to be offered at the new center.
By Ailyn Vasquez, Staff Writer