Just Income GNV – Cohort 1
Just Income GNV, run by the Gainesville nonprofit Community Spring, provided unconditional guaranteed income to people returning home from incarceration in Alachua County, Florida. Cohort 1 randomly selected 115 justice-impacted individuals to receive $1,000 in the first month followed by $600 per month for eleven more months, disbursed via the Steady platform through direct deposit or a prepaid debit card. The program was designed and administered by formerly incarcerated staff and privately funded, with no government funds used. It ran as a randomized controlled trial in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research. The pilot began January 2022 and concluded around February 2023.
Justice-Impacted, Formerly Incarcerated, Reentry, Randomized Controlled Trial, Front-loaded Payments, Steady Platform, Peer-designed Program
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Community Spring
- City
- Gainesville
- State / Province
- Florida
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 352-339-9393
- info@csgnv.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 115
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 7,600 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 633.33 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Prepaid Debit Card (via Steady platform)
- Benefit details
Cohort 1 used a front-loaded payment schedule: $1,000 in the first month, then $600/month for eleven more months, based on input from formerly incarcerated advisors. Funds were disbursed through Steady, linked to an existing bank account or a prepaid debit card for unbanked participants (over 10% of the cohort self-identified as homeless). Payments were unconditional with no reporting requirements.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible applicants had to be Alachua County residents who, within six months of the application deadline, had been released from a Florida state/federal prison or county jail with a new felony conviction, or had begun felony probation in Alachua County. No restrictions based on conviction type, length of incarceration, or income level. Recipients were randomly selected by lottery from the eligible applicant pool, run in two intake groups (57 then 58 people, totaling 115).
Financial
- Banked status
- Unbanked, Banked
Justice
- Justice involvement status
- Formerly Incarcerated, On Probation
- Released within (reentry window)
- 1 years
Geography
- US states covered
- Florida
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Gainesville
- Counties covered
- Alachua
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Research / participation requirements
Research was conducted by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania as a mixed-methods RCT over 18 months, comparing 115 recipients to a 134-person control group, tracking recidivism, financial resilience, food security, mental/physical health. Findings published in 'The American Guaranteed Income Studies: Gainesville, Florida' (Feb 2025): 31% lower recidivism, greater financial stability, increased food security, improved mental health, no decrease in employment.
Application Process
- How to apply
Eligible individuals applied during a designated application window administered by Community Spring, providing proof of Alachua County residency and documentation of release/probation status. Eligible applicants were placed into an applicant pool for random lottery selection.
- Selection process
Participants were chosen through a purely random lottery drawing from the pool of eligible applicants, conducted in partnership with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Cohort 1 selected 115 recipients while 134 additional eligible applicants were randomly assigned to a control group.
