Leading grassroots economic justice in the South
Economic justice is about collective well-being and meaningful access to the income, power, and community that all humans need to flourish.
ABOUT US
We are an economic justice organization disrupting the cycle of poverty and incarceration.
Our vision for economic justice is grounded in three principles: income, power, and community. We believe that everyone needs access to income for economic stability, power to transform unjust systems, and community that offers belonging and connection.
We are community-led which means people impacted by poverty direct our priorities. We focus on the intersection of poverty and the carceral system because we have seen first hand how mass incarceration is both a cause and effect of poverty.
Our Program Areas
Just Income
Expanding access to income and economic stability for people impacted by the justice system.
Just Power
Building the power of impacted people to transform unjust systems so that everyone can reach their full potential.
Just Community
Building community and changing exclusionary narratives around poverty and incarceration.
Our Impact at a Glance
Guaranteed income’s role in breaking the cycle of incarceration
In 2022, Community Spring launched Just Income, our guaranteed income program for people returning to Gainesville with a felony record. In partnership with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania, we conducted an 18-month randomized controlled trial.
The study found that participants who received the Just Income payments experienced a 31% lower recidivism rate, along with better financial stability, increased food security, improved mental health, and no decrease in employment.
This groundbreaking study highlights Guaranteed Income as a powerful tool for reentry, offering formerly incarcerated individuals the stability to move beyond survival and towards a future of dignity and opportunity.
We have distributed over $1 MILLION in guaranteed income payments with Just Income.
Through Just Income, we have been able to:
Decrease probation violations due to a lack of money by 43%
Help recipients support themselves and their families
Decrease recipients’ stress levels
With our advocacy, the city of Gainesville was the first city in Florida to pass a fair chance hiring ordinance for private employers.
In December 2022, Gainesville made history as the first city in Florida to pass a fair chance hiring ordinance. This advocacy campaign started with our first fellowship class in 2020 who had been excluded from employment opportunities because of their record.
We successfully advocated for the elimination of all locally imposed jail and court services fees.
Fines and fees tied to the carceral system keep people trapped in a cycle of poverty and incarceration. That’s why Community Spring has been consistently advocating for limiting the unjust financial burden of fines and fees.
In 2023, roughly 15 jail and court services fees were eliminated across six programs. This included exploitative costs such as a $4/day subsidence fee in the jail, a $5/day electronic monitoring fee for people on pretrial release, and a $20/week participation fee for drug court.
Together, we can end the cycle of poverty and 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.