The focus of each fellowship campaign is determined by the fellows themselves. Grassroots power is at the core of our model. At Community Spring, we believe the answers to the community’s problems need to come from the people experiencing those issues. All of the fellows in the 2020-2021 Class have been deeply impacted by incarceration and feel passionately that supporting returning citizens is key to breaking the cycle of poverty and building a more equitable Gainesville. The 2020-2021 fellow campaign is called Torchlighters Re-Entry Support.
Torchlighters Re-Entry Support is run by Community Spring Fellows who have been directly impacted by incarceration. Left to right: Tequila McKnight, Latashia Mayze-Brimm, Nadine Johnson, and Kevin Scott.
Torchlighters Re-Entry Support
Torchlighters Re-Entry Support envisions a community where returning citizens (a.k.a. formerly incarcerated people) are welcomed with open arms and given support to thrive in their new lives. When incarcerated people are released in Gainesville, Florida, their return to society is met with closed doors. Barriers to employment, housing discrimination, and social stigma often cause returning citizens to become homeless or cycle back through the justice system. Torchlighters Re-Entry Support seeks to create a community of peers that can help light the way home for one another. Along with our partners and allies, we stand ready to bring those on the fringes into the center to heal our fractured communities. More information about engaging with our work can be found on the Torchlighters Re-Entry Support website.
Torchlighters Re-Entry Support has a separate website because when the 2020-2021 fellowship ends, Torchlighters will live on and grow.
fair chance hiring ordinance
We are advocating for a fair chance hiring ordinance to ensure that employers consider applicants on an individual basis rather than only their criminal record.
Re-Entry: An Insider’s Guide
This comprehensive guide on coming home to Alachua County is by and for formerly incarcerated people. Getting out of incarceration can be challenging to say the least. We know! We’ve been through it ourselves. We understand the difficulties of this journey. We also understand that by coming together, sharing our experiences and resources, we support each other and triumph. What has helped us most is each other - the lived experience and advice that can only be known by someone who’s been through it too. In the final pages, you will find a checklist of everything to think about to prepare and plan for your new beginning.
This isn’t about surviving, it’s about thriving.
Re-Entry support
We provide and promote robust support for returning citizens through peer support and online resources. We encourage formerly incarcerated people and their loved ones to engage with our Facebook group, call our warmline (352.559.4505), and check out our Re-Entry Resource Guide.
Changing the Narrative
We are changing the narrative around the experience of re-entry through a communications and educational campaign. We will collect and share compelling narratives of people who have returned home from incarceration in order to reduce stigma and humanize their experience.
FAIR CHANCE EMPLOYMENT CERTIFICATION
Torchlighters Re-Entry Support certifies and promotes local businesses and organizations that give people a fair chance and hire based on the qualifications of the applicants instead of their criminal record. Employers can fill out a brief application to be considered, and returning citizens can easily determine which employers are fair chance employers by viewing the list (coming soon) on the Torchlighters website. If you are an employer interested in learning more about fair chance employment, check out our certification factsheet.
Fair Chance Employers
Insights on Re-Entry
