Homelessness, Personal Satisfaction
Conditions
Brief summary
The primary goal of the study is to determine the impacts of a one-time unconditional cash transfer on the well-being of people experiencing homelessness.
Detailed description
The goal of this project is to examine the effect of cash-transfers for people experiencing homelessness in Metro Vancouver. In partnership with Foundations for Social Change, we will distribute a one-time unconditional cash transfer of $8,500 to each of the 200 participants, with 200 additional participants in a control group who will not receive the cash transfer. To evaluate the effect of the cash transfer, participants will complete surveys 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the cash transfer, and we will track important life outcomes such as housing, employment, health, cognitive function, and well-being.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCash transfer
Participants will receive a one-time unconditional cash transfer of $8,500.
Sponsors
Foundations for Social Change
University of British Columbia
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Participants will be randomly assigned to condition (cash vs control).
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Participants must be homeless at the time of recruitment. 2. Participants must be between 18 and 65 years of age, inclusive. 3. Participants must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in Canada
Exclusion criteria
The following participants will be excluded: 1. Participants who report severe problematic substance use (score ≥ 6 on DAST). 2. Participants who report severe problematic alcohol use (score ≥ 20 on AUDIT). 3. Participants who report severe psychiatric symptoms (score above 2 on item 5 or above 4 on items 13 or 14 on CSI). 4. Participants who report problematic gambling behavior (score ≥ 8 on PGSI).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Stable housing | 1-3 months | Number of days spent in stable housing. |
| Homelessness | 1-3 months | Number of days spent homeless. |
| Savings | 1-3 months | Total value of financial assets. |
| Total Spending | 1-3 months | Amount of money spent on regular and one-time purchases. |
| Spending on Rent | 1-3 months | Amount of money spent on rent. |
| Spending on temptation goods | 1-3 months | Amount of money spent on temptation goods, such as drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. |
| Cost of shelter use | 1-3 months | Estimated societal cost of shelter use based on number of days staying in shelter |
Countries
Canada
Contacts
Primary ContactJiaying Zhao, PhD
Outcome results
None listed