Cleveland Resilience Corps
Cleveland Resilience Corps
The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is proud to launch the Cleveland Resilience Corps - a paid two-year neighborhood leadership program that trains and prepares residents to protect and strengthen their own communities.
Corps members will learn climate resilience, emergency preparedness skills, and community stewardship.
The Cleveland Resilience Corps is a two-year pilot program led by the Mayor's Office of Sustainability and made possible through an investment from the Cleveland Foundation.
The program is designed to demonstrate that paid neighborhood stewards maintain green spaces better, build stronger community networks, and create lasting workforce pathways. By 2029, the program is planned to transition to full City funding - so the work completed in the Hough, St. Clair, and Midtown will grow into a permanent part of how Cleveland cares for its neighborhoods.
To be eligible, you must be:
- 18 years or older
- Commit to 20 hours a month
- Available for complete trainings
- Live in Hough, St.Clair, or Midtown neighborhoods
- Complete a background check before final selection
- Comfortable working as part of an intergenerational team
- Able to provide your own transportation to local work and training sites
Program Location: Operations will be located at the Thurgood Marshall Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Center with project sites around the area.
Program Partners:
City of Cleveland Office of Emergency Management, Parks & Recreation, Public Works, Urban Forestry, the Community Relations Board, Ward 8 Councilwoman Stephanie D. Howse-Jones, and other neighborhood partners.
Get Paid to Help Strengthen Your Neighhborhood
The Cleveland Resilience Corps pilot program is seeking residents of the Hough, St. Clair, and Midtown neighborhoods who are 18 and older and want to make a real difference in their communities — while getting paid for their service!
Corps members will receive a monthly participation allowance for completing a minimum of 20 approved hours of neighborhood service. No prior experience in parks and maintenance, emergency management, or City government is required. Residents bring their neighborhood knowledge and commitment to serve; the City provides the training, tools, and support to help them succeed.
You only need to know your neighborhood, be willing to learn, and show up.
- $325 monthly participation allowance ($16.25/hr)
- Free professional training - including FEMA CERT certification
- Safety gear, branded uniforms, and equipment provided by the City
- Hands-on skills and potential pathways to City employment
- Two year program serving Cleveland neighborhoods
Training & Work Skills
Every corps member is required to complete training that includes FEMA Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) certification and sustainability-focused trainings covering Cleveland's climate priorities, urban forestry, green infrastructure, recycling & composting, climate communications, and commuity engagement.
Participants earn recognized credentials at no cost, and training hours are eligible for service pay.
Training is anticipated to begin in early September 2026 with work to start in October 2026.
FEMA Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Certification
CERT is a nationally recognized training in disaster preparedness, emergency response, basic medical operations, search and rescue, and coordinating with professional first responders.
Every Corps member is required to earn a free CERT certification as part of this program.
Corps members complete hands-on modules covering:
Climate risk and the Cleveland Climate Action Plan
Urban forestry and tree care
Parks and green space stewardship protocols
Nature-based solutions and green infrastructure programs
Green energy, the built environment, and climate-friendly homes
Circular economy, recycling, and composting
Climate Action Plan ambassadorship and trusted messenger skills
Cleveland 311 reporting and field documentation
Training ends with a multi-hazard scenario that integrates CERT emergency response skills with green infrastructure work and community resilience coordination. Members who complete all requirements receive their CERT certification and are officially welcomed into the Corps at a graduation ceremony.
What Corps Members Do
Corps members do meaningful, visible work - every season, in the heart of their own neighborhoods. Work is assigned based on City priorities, seasonal needs, and each member's training and skills.
Work in conjunction with Urban Forestry staff and other partners to water and monitor newly planted trees, including hundreds of new trees coming to Hough through the Complete & Green Streets project and the Cleveland Tree Plan. Mulch trees, identify invasive species, and report concerns.
Work in conjunction with Parks and Recreation to maintain parks, community gardens, and vacant lots transitioning into neighborhood green spaces. Support clean-up events, document site conditions, and help keep community spaces healthy, safe, and usable.
Monitor rain gardens, bioswales, and neighborhood green infrastructure. Catch clogged drains, flooding signs, and damage before they become bigger problems. Document findings for City Public Works staff.
Connect neighbors to City sustainability, resilience, and preparedness programs. Help on projects that involve composting, recycling and other community events. Share information and help neighbors connect with the resources to help improve quality of life.
When heat waves, storms, or poor air quality events hit, trained Corps members are ready. They support Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Centers (NRRCs) as community cooling and resilience hubs, check on vulnerable residents, and help get accurate information out fast at the street level.
Corps members conduct regular safety walks through neighborhood parks and green spaces — always in teams of two or more — as a consistent, visible presence that helps residents feel safe in their own community. Like other safety ambassador programs operating in Cleveland, this is a prevention-focused approach: Corps members greet neighbors, connect residents to City programs, document conditions through Cleveland 3-1-1, and make parks feel like places that belong to the people who live nearby.
Resources
Questions?
For more information about the Cleveland Resilience Corps, email Sustainability@ClevelandOhio.gov or call 216-664-2455.