Community Spring Insights
Nobody Should Be Too Poor to Be Free: Why Guaranteed Income Works and HB 1193 Limits Freedom
At Community Spring, we believe no one should be too poor to be free. That’s why we launched Just Income, a guaranteed income program for people returning from incarceration. The results speak for themselves: a 31% drop in recidivism, better mental health, and more economic stability.
Now, Florida lawmakers are trying to ban government-funded guaranteed income programs through HB 1193. This bill isn’t about budgeting. It’s about power and control, pushed by special interests that have long worked against economic freedom.
Guaranteed income works. We’ve seen it. And we won’t stop fighting for the dignity and stability it brings.
Saying Goodbye to Gerald: The Meaning Behind Just Income’s Mascot
In 2022, Community Spring launched Just Income, a guaranteed income program for people coming home from prison. At that time, we made a Sandhill Crane logo for the program and named it Gerald. Here’s why. This is Gerald’s story.
Tackling the Legacy of Slavery with Guaranteed Income
“Why does everything have to be about race?” “Why do you people always have to bring up slavery when there is a problem with Black people?”
These are statements I have often heard whether through conversations with peers or through online platforms. So, why do we often bring up racism and slavery when talking about problems that Black people face? Well, it’s simple…
Introducing Just Community: Narratives That Build Community Power
Over the past five years, Community Spring has grown from an initial concept into a robust organization built on two fundamental pillars: Income and Power. Each pillar represents a distinct approach to creating systemic change…
Celebrating one year of free phone calls at the Alachua County Jail
“Last week, Community Spring staff attended a national conference on fines and fees justice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Representatives from more than 50 jurisdictions across over 25 states gathered to discuss ways to reform the fines and fees that unfairly trap incarcerated people and their families in debt. While the conference highlighted the work that remains, it was also a reminder that…”
No One Should Be in a Cage
Every few weeks, I would wake up at 5:30 in the morning on a Saturday to drive an hour and a half to go visit my dad in prison. I would barely sleep each night before, riddled with a fear of missing my alarm and I remember feeling the anxiety in my body. The night blended into the morning while I would drive in the dark, trying to…
No Money Mo’ Problems: The Exploitation of Poverty in our Criminal Justice System
Back in 2020, Zach, a local resident, was given a citation for not having car insurance. He couldn’t afford to pay the fine which led to his driver’s license being suspended. He still needed to work in order to pay bills and survive, so he continued to drive. After getting busted two times for driving with a suspended license he served six months in the Alachua County jail. He now…
Breaking the Locks & Creating the Links: Reflections and Next Steps
Our 2022-23 Community Spring campaign, Links Not Locks, has come to a close, but the work will carry on for many years as we continue to disentangle the behavioral health and justice systems. In reflecting on what we’ve done and where we go from here, I wanted to share some key things we learned and some really simple things you can do to improve behavioral health in our community…
Rolling the Crisis Dice: Calling for Help During a Behavioral Health Crisis
I recently had the unfortunate experience of trying to get mental health support for someone very close to me. They were in an acute crisis. The co-morbidities included trauma history, brain trauma, and a history of addiction all exacerbated by recent loss. Trying to navigate the mental health system while they were in crisis was made all the more difficult by the fact that…
No Adults in the Room: My Journey Navigating the Mental Health and Carceral System
There is a unique problem in America - using cages as the answer to behavioral health concerns. Locally, there are over 1,000 beds available at the Alachua County Jail and only 35 at the rehab center. There are unlimited spaces in the criminal court, but in the mental health diversion court, where you may be connected to resources, they are limited to…