209 | Miracle Friends and Miracle Money in California: A mixed-methods experiment of social support and guaranteed income for people experiencing homelessness
Tracks
Workshop
| Wednesday, April 10, 2024 |
| 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM |
| Room 304-305 |
Session Overview
In May of 2022, we began recruitment into a randomized controlled trial to study the impact of Miracle Money (M$), which is a basic income and social support intervention for people experiencing homelessness. Since then, 103 people experiencing homelessness in California have been randomly selected to receive $750 per month for 1 year. This presentation will consider how the 69 people who have received at least 6 monthly payments are doing compared to a control group (n=86) who accessed usual homeless services.
The two key findings thus far include that people who received M$ for 6 months are: (1) less likely to be unsheltered as compared to those who accessed usual services; and (2) have fewer unmet basic needs as compared to those who accessed usual services. Self-reported monthly budget allocation of funds and the role of a social support provided by a “phone buddy” as part of the program will be discussed.
Description
In May of 2022, we began recruitment into a randomized controlled trial to study the impact of Miracle Money (M$), which is a basic income and social support intervention for people experiencing homelessness. Since then, 103 people experiencing homelessness in California have been randomly selected to receive $750 per month for 1 year. This presentation will consider how the 69 people who have received at least 6 monthly payments are doing compared to a control group (n=86) who accessed usual homeless services.
The two key findings thus far include that people who received M$ for 6 months are: (1) less likely to be unsheltered as compared to those who accessed usual services; and (2) have fewer unmet basic needs as compared to those who accessed usual services. Self-reported monthly budget allocation of funds and the role of a social support provided by a “phone buddy” as part of the program will be discussed.
Benjamin Henwood
Professor
University of Southern California
Presenter
Benjamin Henwood, PhD, LCSW is the Albert G. and Frances Lomas Feldman Professor of Social Policy and Health at the University of Southern California (USC). He directs the Center for Homelessness, Housing and Health Equity Research at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and also holds a secondary appointment as a professor in the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. Trained a clinical social worker and researcher, Dr. Henwood is an expert in health and housing services research whose work connects clinical interventions with social policy. He is a co-author of the book “Housing First,” published by Oxford University Press, and lead the launch of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare grand challenge to end homelessness. Dr. Henwood’s research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (i.e., NIMH, NIDA, NIA), the National Science Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Patient Centered Research Outcomes Institute, and Google.org. Dr. Henwood has also served as the methodological lead for the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count since 2017, which is the largest unsheltered count in the United States. Dr. Henwood received his MSW in 2004 and PhD in 2011 from NYU’s Silver School of Social Work.
Deborah Padgett
Professor
NYU
Presenter
Dr. Deborah K. Padgett, a professor at the Silver School of Social Work at New York University, has a PhD in anthropology and post-doctoral fellowships in public health and mental health services. Dr. Padgett is known for her expertise in qualitative/mixed methods and is the author of two textbooks in this area. She is an expert on the ‘housing first’ approach to ending homelessness and is first author (along with Ben Henwood and Sam Tsemberis) of a book on housing first published by Oxford University Press (2016). Since 2010, she has also been involved in research and services for homeless ‘pavement dwellers’ in India. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and former President of the Society for Social Work and Research.
