Community Spring Inc

Just Community: We conduct storytelling workshops that challenge exclusionary narratives around poverty and incarceration and equip people with tools to use their story to make change. Through these efforts, we have deepened public understanding of the harmful stereotypes faced by people impacted by poverty and incarceration. We host monthly letter writing events where volunteers write letters to individuals currently incarcerated at our county jail. Additionally, we launched a meditation group specifically for justice-impacted individuals to have a place to heal and reflect. Our organization became certified by court services, to offer community service. People with court mandated community service can volunteer at Community Spring to do activities that are enriching like storytelling, letter writing and meditation rather than activities that are extractive.

Just Power: Through eight-month paid fellowships, we empower directly impacted individuals to lead systems change. Our advocacy helped Gainesville become Floridas first city to adopt a fair chance hiring ordinance, expanding employment opportunities for 40,000 individuals with criminal records. We eliminated 15 local jail and court fees and saved families $2.5 million through free jail phone calls. We successfully advocated for public funding for reentry services and several of our fellowship alumni became the founding board of our local reentry hub, Released Reentry.