Barriers to Employment Hurt the Entire Community

By Tequila McKnight

Coming home from prison I got a job pretty easily at first. I was hired at a restaurant and put on the manager training course. Even though my first paychecks were barely enough to pay rent and utilities, I was hopeful because the pay would increase after training ended. But that would not be the case for me. After 3 months, management told me I couldn’t work there with the record that I disclosed at the time of applying. That was my first experience with the employment barriers that come with a record.

When you come home from prison, you need a job to succeed and rebuild your life, but barriers prevent you from even being considered. Nationally, 27% of people with a record are unemployed. This is a serious problem because employment is the single biggest predictor of reincarceration. These barriers hurt individuals, businesses, and the community as a whole.

Rejection after rejection

After leaving the restaurant job, I found that not many places will hire someone coming home, and the ones that do barely pay enough to get by. I had a persistent headache because I did not know what to do, and I knew going back was not an option. After being out of work for two weeks, I was offered a position at a local hotel to clean rooms for only $3.81 per room. I didn't even know this rate was legal to pay someone, but this was the only place willing to give me an opportunity. My experience is not uncommon. On average, people who have spent time in prison see their annual income reduced by 52 percent after they come home.

I knew that I couldn't make it living off of this wage, so I applied to a temp agency that helps people gain employment. The interviewer was excited about hiring me and spoke very highly of me, but when the application went to corporate they came back with a rejection because of my record. I also applied at other hotels that paid more and nursing homes but I was denied everywhere I turned. 

I was killing myself at work just to survive. I took on every role at the hotel (housekeeping, front desk, laundry, etc.) to make enough money to take care of my bills and kids. I almost never missed a day of work and worked harder than everyone else to prove that I was capable. I am grateful for this job because it gave me useful skills, but it was really stressful. I didn’t have time to do anything but work, and I was still barely making it. 

Creating my own opportunities

Faced with these difficulties, my only option was to start my own business, a cleaning service based in Gainesville, Florida. Starting my business was very difficult because I did not know what to do or where to start. I had to figure it out on my own. Since starting my business, I have employed community members with the same issues I was facing. I also help anyone who is trying to get their business started because I know the struggle. While starting my own business has been hard, it is by far easier than trying to get someone to hire me. Even to this day many places won’t hire me because of a record that's over a decade old. 

By excluding motivated people like me from jobs, businesses are losing out. I was hired as a manager at a restaurant. I was promoted repeatedly at the hotel. I started my own business. But barriers because of my criminal record will still prevent many places from hiring me even now. One in three adults have a criminal record, so hiring restrictions means employers miss out on a huge pool of talented people.

The way forward is fair chance hiring

Coming home from prison the deck is stacked against you. How long is it ok for someone to pay their debt to society? Once you have a record is that label on you for life? I have been out of prison for seven years. I have not had any charges or negative interaction with law enforcement, got my rights back to vote, but I am still not given a second chance of sustainable employment to take care of my kids and grandkids. 

Our community needs a fair chance hiring ordinance to help people with records find work. Lots of other places already have policies that take questions about criminal records off job applications and require that convictions be considered in context (how long ago it happened, is it related to the job, etc.). Actually talking to applicants, considering them as an individual, not making decisions based on arbitrary rules - these are simple changes that could have a big impact. And they would help give the next person that comes home to Gainesville a fair chance at rebuilding their life.

Surviving and Thriving: Universal Basic Income Explained

By Nadine (Hope) Johnson

When temperatures dropped last week, I felt my heart rate go up. Whenever it’s above 80 degrees or below 65 degrees, I’m plagued by anxiety that I won’t be able to afford the utility bills. This constant fear is not unique to me. Poverty crushed 34 million Americans even before COVID hit, and we have about a 31% poverty rate right here in Gainesville. 

As conversations happen locally and nationally about a universal basic income, or UBI, I’ve been thinking about how this would reduce financial stress in my life and for those I care about. A UBI is a public program designed to increase people's income. A regular cash payment is delivered to everyone in a given population (e.g. adult U.S. citizens) with minimal or no requirements for receiving the money. Not only would a UBI end the material hardship of poverty, it would allow people to expand the possibilities they see for themselves and have more freedom to pursue a fulfilling life. 

In terms of ending material hardship, I could use the A/C or the washer and dryer without the paranoia of my utility services being shut off. I could rest assured that I will not be evicted because I missed work to stay home and nurse my sick child. In short, I would know that I at least have enough to get by. Contrary to outdated stereotypes, I would not stop working and just live off of the government. Quite the opposite, in fact. As the stress from financial insecurity lessens, plans for myself expand. 

Poverty is not just about material well-being, it also shapes your frame of mind. At times I have lowered my expectations of life and of myself, because if money makes the world go round and you don't have any, then why try? My lack of money felt like yet another slammed door, which discouraged me from looking for new opportunities. This creates two separate worlds: a life of  seemingly endless options for the financially stable, and a life devoid of meaningful choices for people in poverty. In other words, economic inequality is not just about some people having more money than others, it’s about possibilities. Being stuck in a box of crisis response limits the possibilities you can see for your future. A UBI would break down those barriers and expand people’s horizons.

A UBI would also be a tool for increasing freedom and fulfillment more broadly. Nowhere is this more clear than as a parent. While I often talk to my children about the importance of using money responsibly, I don’t want to constantly shoot down their dreams with comments such as: “there’s no money in that” or ”that's not a good job.” This way of thinking blinds you to anything but your immediate need for money. You can’t afford to listen to what speaks to you unless it’s attached to a large dollar amount. Your own inner compass becomes a mistrusted nuisance in your desperation to keep your head above water. A UBI would provide the financial stability that’s necessary for my children - and everyone’s children - to pursue their dreams. It would expand their vision beyond that of immediate crisis and allow them to think about fulfillment instead of just survival. 

Think of who we will be as a people once we move beyond the first level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. A UBI would help everyone to meet their basic needs, expand their vision of what’s possible, and, perhaps most importantly, allow them to build fulfilling lives. If we can come together around the idea that everyone has the right to the essential things they need to get by, my hope is that old assumptions and stigma around poverty start to fall away. Being able to meet your own basic needs can be the difference between sinking lower into despair, or climbing higher than ever and achieving self-actualization. A UBI is an opportunity to bring people out of fear and into empowerment.

Access to Fair Credit is a Pathway out of Poverty

By Tequila McKnight

My financial hardship pretty much started at birth. I was born to a mother who was only 15 years old, and who was sent to prison by the time I was three. I also became a mother at 15, and I started working full-time to care for myself and my baby while still in high school (which, might I add, I graduated from on time - no small feat!). At the age of 16, I was already on baby number two. Not yet an adult and already balancing so many things that even a small slip-up would send me over the edge. 

After turning 18 I started receiving credit card offers. I had never had access to money like that. I also had no understanding of how credit worked or how it could be predatory. I accepted a couple of offers and started charging away. Everything was going great. I got a job at the University of Florida, was living on my own and taking care of my kids. It was a lot to manage at such a young age, but I’m resourceful and managed to keep all the balls in the air for several years.

Then things came crashing down. The father of my two kids and high school sweetheart got in  trouble with the law. This one problem upset the delicate balance I had maintained and quickly snowballed into more problems. I lost my job and got evicted from my apartment. For months my kids and I moved from house to house sleeping on couches and floors. We even had to spend one night outside. Eventually I was able to get another place, but during this crisis my debt had ballooned to a point where I no longer had control over it. My children’s father ended up going to prison, leaving me with a five and six year old to raise on my own. 

In an effort to improve my financial situation, I turned to the higher education system and enrolled in an AA program in Business Administration. My dreams to further my education, however, only translated to more debt. With all the life complications that come along with financial insecurity, I couldn’t juggle the classes, a full-time job, and caring for my family all by myself.  As a result, I now have $50,000 dollars worth of debt and no degree to show for it. 

Year after year I struggled to better myself, but the predatory credit card debt and high interest student loans meant that I was constantly digging out of a hole. It felt impossible to turn my dreams into a reality.

With no other opportunities available to me, I decided to make my own way by starting a cleaning business (TNT Dynamite Cleaning Service). I used a lot of grit and a couple of saved-up paychecks to get off the ground. It became clear early on that I needed to expand to keep the business afloat. I started looking for small business loans, but not one financing company was willing to give me a chance because of my past credit history. All they could see were difficult times of my youth. No one made the effort to see the person I was now.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Everything felt hopeless. My little business that I had poured so much into basically came to a halt. I wasn’t alone. Community Spring’s grassroots COVID-19 survey and recovery work has highlighted the severe economic toll of the pandemic in our community, especially among low-income households. 

But then something unexpected happened. Relief programs for COVID-19 made financing for small businesses accessible. The unreasonably high barriers to loans that had prevented me from growing my business were removed. Because of the SBA Stimulus and the Payroll Protection Loan, I was able to hire more people and take on more clients. Not only did access to fair credit help put me in a better financial situation, it also created jobs for people in my community. I am finally on track towards my goals. 

My story shows that credit is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can be predatory and trap people in poverty. Once the cycle of debt begins, it is nearly impossible to break. But on the other hand, fair access to credit is critical to helping people work their way out of poverty. The COVID-19 relief programs have shown that it is possible to give small business owners like me a meaningful chance to build themselves up. Fair access to financing and opportunities to improve one’s credit should not just be available during times of economic crisis. If we want to give people a real chance to escape poverty, ensuring access to fair credit would be an important step in the right direction.