Community Spring’s model is based on a simple yet innovative idea: Economic mobility from poverty is only possible when people have both income to meet their needs and power to reshape the systems that keep them down.

Economic Mobility from poverty

Poverty is a multi-faceted problem. Not only do people experiencing poverty lack the necessary income to meet their basic needs, but they are also frequently made to feel powerless and pushed to the fringes of society. Therefore, mobility requires both economic support as well as increased autonomy and power to confront the structural drivers of poverty. Community Spring provides direct access to both income and power by employing people to work together to make positive changes in their communities. Similar programs, such as subsidized jobs programs and cash transfers, demonstrate promising economic outcomes. Our model combines aspects of these proven methods in a new way to maximize not only economic success, but also individual and collective power.

Impact

While centered on a simple idea, Community Spring’s model reimagines how to address poverty in America by:

• Providing an income to help people meet their basic needs and have stability for self-improvement

• Building individual and collective power among people experiencing poverty

• Elevating individual autonomy and skill-building that enhances future employability

• Directly and efficiently getting money into left-behind communities

• Shifting the narrative about the causes and experience of poverty