Our Work
Community Spring is driving change with a bold vision for economic justice rooted in income, power, and community.
Our mission
Our mission is to advance economic justice by disrupting the cycle of poverty and mass incarceration.
Our vision
We envision a society that prioritizes collective well-being and meaningful access to the income, power, and community that all humans need to flourish.
Our five-year report is here!
See how Community Spring has grown, shifted narratives, and driven change alongside those most impacted by poverty and incarceration.
Just Income
Expanding access to income for impacted people to support scaling GI so that everyone has economic stability.
Just Power
Building the power of impacted people to transform unjust systems so that everyone can reach their full potential.
Just Community
Growing community and bridging the gaps that isolate us so that everyone is fully valued and involved in driving change.
How We Make an Impact
Where we work
Community Spring is a grassroots economic justice organization based out of Gainesville, Florida. We focus locally, but our work has regional and national implications. We are pushing for bold change in a challenging political and economic climate. If we can do it here, it’s possible anywhere.
In the South, economic injustice is particularly tied to the historic and ongoing oppression of Black people. The median income of Black households here is barely half that of White households.
That is not surprising when you consider that in Gainesville, Florida 1 out of every 50 Black people are incarcerated at any given time, a rate nine times greater than their White neighbors.
Why we focus on poverty
Poverty is a policy choice.
It persists because of the policies and systems that shape our economy and opportunities.
When wages fail to keep up with the cost of living, full-time work no longer guarantees stability.
When healthcare is unaffordable, a single illness can push a family into crisis.
When housing costs rise faster than incomes, millions are forced to spend most of what they earn just to stay housed.
Unequal schools, unequal neighborhoods, and unequal access to early opportunities mean that some people start the race miles behind others.
The criminal justice system can strip people of income, housing, and future opportunities, while tax and economic policies often do more to protect wealth than to build it from the bottom up.
Poverty is the direct result of systems and policies that continue to fail us.
Why we focus on mass incarceration
The US has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Florida’s incarceration rate is even higher, and Alachua County outpaces Florida.
People coming out of the prison system are often already in debt. Once released, they encounter additional struggles finding employment and paying the fines and fees associated with probation. Locally, 23% of probation violations are because of a lack of money. This inability to pay can result in re-incarceration. It is not hard to follow the line of injustice and systemic failure that perpetuates the cycle of poverty and incarceration.
When you invest in those most marginalized, everyone benefits.
Our Values
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We work to implement bold, innovative solutions to poverty and mass incarceration in our community. That means we have to be both creative and brave enough to try things in new ways. We try not to stay on defense, and instead work to build the world we want.
At the same time, we are pragmatic and strategic in our approach. We balance being thoughtful and deliberate with being action-oriented. We know that even the simplest ideas are very complex in the real world, and that if we try to do too many things we risk doing nothing at all. That’s why we keep our work focused and consistent as we drive towards achievable goals that have a tangible impact. At our best, we’re able to normalize radical ideas.
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While this work is difficult, we maintain our hope for a society that is grounded in economic justice. We are kind and look for the best in people, even when they fall short or we disagree with them. We don’t get stuck or daunted by all the things we can’t do, but instead find creative ways to advance our mission.
At the same time, we try to be genuine with one another, even at the times we’re feeling discouraged. This requires us to be open, curious, and humble as we engage with new ideas. We strive to be honest with ourselves, listen deeply to others, and tell the hard truths that allow us all to learn and grow. Throughout everything, we always aim to be constructive - to build, not break.
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Above all, Community Spring is about growth. While growth is necessarily uncomfortable, we know we can get through difficult times and come out better on the other side. We don’t expect perfection when working with people or running programs, but we never stop learning and improving. At its core, our work is about growing connections and individual possibilities.
At the same time, we remain grounded in our mission, our community, and the urgent needs of the people directly impacted by poverty and mass incarceration. We try not to get distracted by the latest outrage, and instead remain focused on having a real-world impact that advances our long-term vision of economic justice. We are able to engage with the complexity and nuance of people and systems because we are firmly grounded in the things that really matter.
Our Impact
Our Theory of Change
We cannot accomplish our mission alone.
We need support from generous individuals like you.
Together, we can end the cycle of poverty and mass incarceration.
Mass incarceration is both a cause and effect of poverty. Community Spring is responding by expanding access to income, advocating for policy change, and shifting harmful narratives.