Coming and Going
The FRRC Year in Review
By Chasman Barnes, FRRC Staff Member
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Kids jingle-belling. Everyone telling you, “Be of good cheer!”
Holiday greetings. End-of-year meetings. Funders to call.
Yep. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
The unique juxtaposition of simultaneously being in the face of the coming year and in the rearview mirror of the outgoing year is even more interesting.
This time of year is one to remember, reflect, review, and re-envision what the possibilities are to keep doing what we’re so passionate about in the first place.
So many things have happened since the start of 2022. This post would be far too long to count them all.
But, I’ll recount some of the highlights from this year that made the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) an even brighter beacon of light and hope to returning citizens and directly impacted families in Florida.
Come with me. Let’s walk down the hall of progress and see just how critical 2022 was and how immensely important 2023 will be.
Our first stop? Some key developments we saw in 2022.
Housing
We saw developments in the area of housing that significantly impacted returning citizens. There’s no doubt housing is in a crisis in the state of Florida. Exorbitant hikes in rent. Rental units are becoming more scarce. Families are feeling the pressure to earn more while being able to do less with what they already have. This affects returning citizens and their families even more because of the economic disparities in pay and housing options; in some cases, there are no options.
Returning citizens continue to face discrimination in housing simply because they have a past felony conviction.
We also saw a resurgence in support for the returning citizen community during 2022, particularly in Orange County, where FRRC and other partner organizations have strongly advocated for rent stabilization measures and a tenant bill of rights.
We have attended Board of County Commissioners meetings, speaking up and out to protect returning citizens from being discriminated against in the application and leasing process in housing.
FRRC plans to stand with returning citizens in January of 2023 when the Orange County Commissioners reconvene again.
But we’re not stopping there. FRRC plans to progress even further in 2023, advocating fairness, access, and removing barriers in housing for returning citizens.
We’re launching our multi-city housing campaign to remove barriers to housing for returning citizens in some of the largest cities in Florida. At the state level, we’re proposing legislation to provide protections to landlords who rent to returning citizens and building relationships with federal lawmakers who can champion the housing needs of returning citizens in the upcoming 118th Congress.
Employment
There were crucial developments in employment for returning citizens in 2022. Expansions in second-chance hiring policies took place in cities and counties in Florida, including the first vote in support of expanding Gainesville’s existing second-chance employment policy to apply to private employers, a first in Florida.
On December 15, 2022, the City Commission of Gainesville, Florida, unanimously passed an ordinance that gives people with criminal records a fair chance of getting hired by local employers. This ordinance is the first of its kind in Florida.
According to the National Employment Law Project, 15 states, the District of Columbia, and 22 cities and counties, including some in Texas, extend their fair-chance laws to private employment.
Gainesville’s Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance requires private employers to delay questions about criminal records and only run background checks after a conditional offer is made. It also bans most arrests that did not result in conviction from being considered in employment decisions. Employers who violate this ordinance will be fined $500, with half of the fine going to the person who brought the complaint.
Employment is the single most significant predictor of re-incarceration.
People with criminal records, however, have an unemployment rate of 27%. The changes in hiring practice that this ordinance requires will encourage more qualified people to apply for jobs and allow employers to consider the individual circumstances of each applicant rather than just their criminal record.
Our partners at Community Spring — an organization dedicated to dismantling structural poverty and spurring economic mobility at a grassroots level — have significantly contributed to seeing this ordinance passed. We applaud and appreciate their work.
To keep the momentum going and growing in 2023, FRRC will campaign to increase the number of cities and counties in Florida with second-chance employment policies and strengthen existing policies. We also aim to introduce legislation at the state level to remove barriers to occupational licenses across various industries.
Higher Education
A little-talked-about issue is a need for returning citizens who are incarcerated and those who have rejoined society to further their education. Obtaining higher education is often why returning citizens are denied a job or a promotion on a job they already have. Like many others, returning citizens are increasing their education and improving their skills to compete in today’s job market.
This year saw an increase in Pell grant funding to support higher education for incarcerated individuals. At the FRRC 10th anniversary convening in August, we heard directly from individuals who could work toward and complete degrees while incarcerated.
In the coming year, FRRC will work to make progress in higher education for returning citizens by forming partnerships with higher education institutions to expand access to educational programming for currently incarcerated individuals. At the state level, we’ll work on clarifying that incarceration in a correctional facility in Florida counts toward the requirements to qualify as an in-state resident for tuition purposes, reducing the financial barriers to higher education for current and recently incarcerated individuals.
Voting and Elections
What a critical year for candidates and incumbents alike.
It was a hotbed of debate and quite the whirlwind of political clashes at the state and federal levels.
Once again, this past election cycle saw returning citizens face barriers to regaining and exercising their right to vote.
This year’s unfortunate voter arrests exposed the lengths some will go to make sure the most weakened among them do not become stronger in influence or louder in volume than they already are.
FRRC will meet the disenfranchisement and discrimination of people with convictions head-on in 2023 by meeting with local Supervisors of Elections to improve the integrity of the voter registration process. We’ll work with Clerks of Court to expand and streamline the use of their system for verifying voter eligibility. We aim to ensure protections for returning citizens who rely on information provided by local and state elections officials in registering to vote and casting a ballot. We want to build relationships with the new clemency board to advocate for continued reforms.
What’s Your Role With FRRC in 2023?
Last stop? The Gift Shop, of course.
It’s still possible to give to the life-impacting work that FRRC does daily.
We’re raising funds throughout December to support our important work in 2023 and beyond.
We’ve partnered with Democratizing Philanthropy Project through their #PowerProgress campaign. One of the most exciting aspects of this partnership is every dollar raised through the end of the year will be matched (up to $10,000).
Your impactful contributions will support returning citizens’ rehabilitation, reintegration into society, and determination to contribute to our communities, economy, and democracy.
FRRC is creating a better society for everyone by strengthening those impacted by the criminal legal system. We aim to do that by humanizing our experiences, changing narratives, and tearing down barriers to housing, employment, and democracy.
It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year.
A time to review.
A time to reflect.
A time to hope for the future.
Coming or going, surely you will buy your cup, and surely I’ll buy mine! We’ll take a cup of kindness yet for the sake of auld lang syne!
Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year from the Leadership and Staff of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.
About the author:
Chasman is a Policy Professional, Advocate for Returning Citizens in Criminal and Social Justice Reform, TEDx Speaker, and sought-after Communicator.
