RECRUITING

Growing Strong Study of Unconditional Cash Transfers Plus Peer Support for Families With Babies in Homeless Shelters

Study Overview

This clinical trial focuses on testing the efficacy of different digital interventions to promote re-engagement in cancer-related long-term follow-up care for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer.

Description

The Growing Strong program tests a novel approach to helping families with young children living in homeless shelters, namely offering guaranteed, unconditional cash gifts that families can use as they wish plus voluntary peer support. The assumption behind this approach is that families know best how to allocate resources to meet their own individual needs. While there are a number of Direct Cash Transfer studies taking place around the country, the investigator(s) are unaware of any that have tested the relationship of receiving cash on homelessness among families specifically. To be eligible to participate in the study, families must reside in a homeless shelter and have at least one child under two years of age living with them in shelter. The investigator(s) have tied eligibility to the age of the youngest child in the household because rates of shelter use are highest among this population and because the costs associated with young children increase such families' financial burdens. A total of 200 families will be enrolled in the study. One hundred families in the active intervention group will receive $1,500 per month ("substantial cash") for 24 months ($18,000 annually) and may also elect to receive peer support services. One hundred families in the active comparison group will receive $50 per month ("nominal cash") for 24 months ($600 annually) and will not have access to the peer support services. A third, passive comparison group will receive usual care within the homeless shelter system in the same metropolitan area (New York City) as participants in both cash gift groups. This group of families will be followed only in administrative records. The main research questions are: does providing substantial, unconditional cash transfers plus access to voluntary peer support services over 24 months a) reduce the length of time in shelter for families with young children and/or b) improve other aspects of family and child well-being relative to providing nominal cash transfers alone or usual care.

Official Title

Growing Strong Study of Unconditional Cash Transfers Plus Voluntary Peer Support to Reduce Shelter Stays and Improve Family Well-being for Families With Babies in New York City Homeless Shelters

Quick Facts

Study Start:2024-05-21
Study Completion:2027-05
Study Type:Not specified
Phase:Not Applicable
Enrollment:Not specified
Status:RECRUITING

Study ID

NCT06323967

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Ages Eligible for Study:18 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:No
Standard Ages:ADULT, OLDER_ADULT
Inclusion CriteriaExclusion Criteria
  1. * A family has been found "eligible" for shelter (as described above) within the past 30 days
  2. * The family has a baby who meets the age criteria (under 2 years of age)
  3. * There is an adult 18 or over who has custody of the child (typically the mother)
  4. * The family speaks English or Spanish
  5. * The family lives in a designated Win shelter
  1. * None: any family configuration is permissible

Contacts and Locations

Study Contact

Marybeth Shinn, PhD
CONTACT
615 322-8735
beth.shinn@vanderbilt.edu

Principal Investigator

Marybeth Shinn, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Vanderbilt University

Study Locations (Sites)

Win NYC Shelter System
New York, New York, 10004
United States

Collaborators and Investigators

Sponsor: Vanderbilt University

  • Marybeth Shinn, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Vanderbilt University

Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

Study Start Date2024-05-21
Study Completion Date2027-05

Study Record Updates

Study Start Date2024-05-21
Study Completion Date2027-05

Terms related to this study

Keywords Provided by Researchers

  • family homelessness
  • direct cash transfer
  • unconditional cash transfer
  • housing affordability
  • income inequality
  • child poverty

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

  • Time to Shelter Exit
  • Family Well-being
  • Child Well-being