COURT-APPOINTED COMMUNITY SERVICE

If you have court-ordered or mandatory community service hours to complete, The United Way of Northeast Florida Volunteer Hub can help!

For your convenience, United Way of Northeast Florida's Volunteer Hub has compiled a list of organizations that welcome court-appointed community service. This is not a full listing—it is possible to complete your hours at other 501(c)3 or government organizations that are not included on the list.

It is up to your judge to decide which organizations you are allowed to work with. Please contact your judge’s clerk with any questions on what you are allowed to do as court-appointed service. 

Steps to remember when satisfying court-ordered community service hours in Florida:

  • Determine the number of community service hours required by the court.
  • Find a non-profit organization that is approved by the court to perform community service hours.
  • Contact the organization to schedule your community service hours.
  • Bring/send a court-issued document stating your community service requirements to the organization.
  • Sign in and out for each community service session and keep track of your hours.
  • Complete all necessary community service hours before the court deadline
  • Obtain documentation from the organization that states the number of community service hours completed
  • Submit the documentation to the court to show that you have completed your community service hours.
  • It is important to remember that failure to complete court-ordered community service hours can result in further legal consequences and it is your responsibility and your responsibility alone to ensure that that all steps are completed in a timely manner
  • START EARLY: remember that:
    • Nonprofit Agencies may not have shifts available for you immediately
    • Nonprofit agencies are usually understaffed and have a lot on their plates—it can take several days to get documentation to you. It is imperative that you factor that into your timeline

 

SELECTION OF AGENCIES THAT ACCEPT COURT-ORDERED VOLUNTEERS

From agency: We do court-ordered volunteer hours as long as it is a non-violent offense.

From agency: You must call to confirm approval before registering. (904) 282-7590

From agency: We generally will accept non-violent crimes only, primarily misdemeanors such as DUI, petit theft, etc.

From agency: Volunteers will need to complete a volunteer application with a background check through DCPS , as most of our sites/boutiques are located on Duval County Public School campus. However, we have several sites not on school campuses and could potentially sign off hours for off-site tasks such as hosting a drive, creating digital content, or assisting with other clerical tasks.  

DCPS Volunteer Registration Page Link 

Current Sites: 

Martin Luther Jr. Elementary

Biltmore Elementary

Hidden Oaks Elementary

George W. Carver Elementary

Mandarin Middle School

Frank H. Peterson High School

Kids Hope Alliance

Warehouse - 12740 Kenan Drive 

From agency: Complete the form at the bottom of the page to join the volunteer list.

From Agency: Volunteers will need to provide a copy of the court document.  Anyone interested must complete an online application at https://www.jaxpubliclibrary.org . We only do hours for traffic violations. Volunteers must pass a background check which can take a few weeks to clear.

From agency: We accept non-violent, court-ordered volunteers. There is a 12-hour training and a 6-month commitment of 1-2 hours/week tutoring an adult learner is required.  We run a level 2 background check on our volunteers and ask that volunteers discuss what issues might come up before paying for the background check.

From agency: We have positions available for court-ordered community service. You must begin volunteering within two weeks of completing Volunteer Orientation and are required to volunteer at least twice per month for the duration of your service. Contact the Volunteer Manager for details: volunteer@fcnmhp.org

From agency: We are located at 6629 Beach Blvd with volunteer shifts Tuesday-Saturday 10AM-6PM. Closed-toe shoes required. Must be at least 18-years-old. Email volunteer@hubbardhouse.org to get scheduled.

From agency: Register for volunteer opportunities through the link above and bring in the paperwork to get signed. Pro-tip: select "collecting/sorting" as an interest when signing up. We do a lot of that! 

From agency: We cannot accept any felons.

From agency: On a case-by-case basis, depending on the court order there are volunteer opportunities in the administrative office and then possibly programming for non-violent offenses.

From agency: Our organization gladly grants court-ordered service hours as long as it is a non-violent and non-sexual crime.

larora.hestle@the1ststepinc.org

Projects that you can complete at home with flexible hours. Please note that there are limits on the number of hours you can receive for many of these projects.