Building Climate-Resilient Homes and Communities: Ten Best Practices

Around the world, climate change is greatly impacting the lives of vulnerable communities as erratic rainfall, more frequent and catastrophic storms and more prolonged droughts decimate lives and livelihoods. At Catholic Relief Services, we see the consequences of climate change everywhere we work. CRS and our partners are working to ensure people living in poverty—those most impacted by climate change—are able to manage risks, recover, adapt and build their resilience in the face of this escalating threat. As a leader in the field, and through our experience implementing shelter projects across more than 65 countries—directly supporting 300,000 people each year on average—CRS has identified 10 essential best practices at the heart of our recovery and adaptation work, and we are confident that practical experience conclusively demonstrates that they are necessary for building homes and communities that can not only survive, but thrive, in the face of growing climate risks.