Impact Justice

A Space for a Not-For-Profit Organization to Benefit Their Mission

For over seven years, Impact Justice – a not-for-profit innovation and research center – has sought to foster a more humane, responsive, and restorative system of justice, both in the U.S. and internationally. Impact Justice’s mission is to reduce the number of people involved in the juvenile and adult criminal justice system, improve conditions for those who remain incarcerated, provide meaningful opportunities for success for those rejoining their communities, and improve justice outcomes for crime victims.

When the organization was founded in 2015, Impact Justice’s offices were located in a building in Oakland, California that had once been a walk-in clinic. At that time, HGA worked with the organization pro-bono to drastically improve the space. However, because Impact Justice experienced unexpected growth during their first year, they soon required more space and decided to purchase their own building in Oakland.

Impact Justice President, Alex Busansky, understood all too well that affordable office space was scarce in the Bay Area, due to the large number of tech companies headquartered there. His goal was to find a building where Impact Justice could establish a new home for themselves, while assisting other not-for-profits by leasing workspace to them at an affordable price. With assistance from HGA, Impact Justice settled on a four-story, mid-century building in the Cleveland Heights neighborhood of Oakland.

The building was well-constructed and in an optimal location, but because it had been vacant for 25 years the space came with a complicated set of challenges. The building’s entire infrastructure, including electrical system, had to be gutted and redone. Elevators were updated, and restrooms/shower were brought up to code and renovated to be both gender inclusive and ADA compliant. With no code compliant egress, fire safety proved to be the costliest of the challenges. It was important to HGA and Impact Justice that the building not only meet fire code, but also be as safe as possible by installing sprinklers throughout the entire building.

With their office located on the third floor, Impact Justice wanted their space to look clean and modern, while also reflecting the humble nature of not-for-profit work. HGA used creative ways to meet the project’s budget constraints, such as working with vendors to convey the mission of Impact Justice; choosing used furniture and budget-friendly materials, like glass and breeze blocks; and being mindful of the floor’s layout to maximize the space and create flexibility for future growth. Smaller offices are located around the perimeter of the floor for more intimate breakout meetings, with open workstations in the center. Establishing an overall feeling of transparency was significant due to the organization’s mission of working with those impacted by the correctional system.

Floors two and four will house rentable workspace for other not-for-profit organizations, that is below market rates. On floor two, an event space is available for building tenants to use as a community room and gathering space for larger meetings. Tenants can use the space for fundraising events, meetings or to collaborate with fellow tenants. Impact Justice would eventually like to add more amenities to the building, such as a rooftop deck or an indoor garden. Impact Justice’s goal for the building – to propagate their mission while lending a hand to other not-for-profits – was inspirational for designers, who will carry the lessons learned forward with HGA’s future work with not-for-profit clients.