Cash Transfers for People Experiencing Homelessness

Cash Transfers for People Experiencing Homelessness

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.

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.

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).