Torchlighters Re-entry Support
2020-2021 Fellowship
Lighting the way through re-entry support
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 were deeply impacted by incarceration and felt passionately that supporting returning citizens was key to breaking the cycle of poverty and building a more equitable Gainesville. The 2020-2021 fellow campaign was called Torchlighters Re-Entry Support.
Torchlighters Re-Entry Support was co-created by Community Spring Fellows who have been directly impacted by incarceration. Left to right: Tequila McKnight, Latashia Mayze-Brimm, Nadine Johnson, and Kevin Scott.
The fellows envisioned a community where returning citizens (a.k.a. formerly incarcerated people) were 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 often met with closed doors. Barriers to employment, housing discrimination, and social stigma often caused returning citizens to become homeless or cycle back through the justice system.
Through Torchlighters Re-Entry Support, the fellows sought to create a community of peers that could help light the way home for one another. Along with our partners and allies, we stood ready to bring those on the fringes into the center to heal our fractured communities.
Campaign Work and Impact
Re-entry: An Insider’s Guide
The fellows knew how challenging life after incarceration was. They believed that by coming together, sharing experiences and resources, people could support one another and triumph.
By having lived experience, the fellows created Re-entry: An Insider’s Guide, a comprehensive guide on coming home to Alachua County.
Increased support and narrative shifting
The fellows provided and promoted robust support for returning citizens through peer support and online resources.
They also worked to change the narrative around the experience of re-entry through a communications and educational campaign, where they shared stories of people who returned home from incarceration in order to reduce stigma and humanize their experience.
Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance
We advocated for a fair chance hiring ordinance to ensure that employers considered applicants on an individual basis rather than solely on their criminal record.
Through this initiative, the fellows started a Fair Chance Employment certification program where they promoted local businesses and organizations that gave people a fair chance and hired based on applicants' qualifications instead of their criminal records. A list of some of these employers is below.
While the fellowship ended in 2021, we continued our efforts, and Gainesville made history as the first city in Florida to pass a fair chance hiring ordinance for private employers.
