In response to widespread power loss during extreme weather events like Hurricane Beryl, The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) secured a $250,000 grant to construct Houston’s first Community Lighthouse at New Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

The project comes after repeated outages left millions without reliable access to electricity, exposing gaps in disaster preparedness—particularly in neighborhoods already facing longstanding infrastructure challenges.

TMO leaders developed the effort by drawing on the Community Lighthouse strategy advanced by their sister organization, Together Louisiana. The model combines long-term resilience with immediate response capacity. Solar panels will help offset electricity costs for the church, while battery storage will allow the site to provide power during outages.

When the grid fails, trained “lighthouse keepers” will activate the site based on relationships built through ongoing organizing. The goal is not only to restore power, but to respond to identified community needs—whether through charging stations, food preparation and distribution, cooling and heating space, or support for residents dependent on oxygen and other medical equipment.

In the weeks ahead of hurricane season, TMO leaders will begin neighborhood walks starting April 25, focusing on relationship-building and preparedness. The outreach will center on Kashmere Gardens, a historic neighborhood in Northeast Houston with approximately 13,000 residents.

The lighthouse reflects a shift from short-term emergency response to locally organized resilience—built through institutions, sustained relationships, and planning done before the next storm hits.