Project Summary
This study consists of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an intervention that was initially designed to address social isolation and loneliness among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) that was subsequently paired with an economic poverty reduction intervention. The program that delivers these interventions is a non-profit organization known as Miracle Messages whose mission is to “end relational poverty on the streets and, in the process, inspire people everywhere to embrace their homeless neighbors not as problems to be solved, but as people to be loved.” One of the interventions that this program implements is known as “Miracle Friends,” in which an unhoused person is paired with a volunteer who serves as a “phone buddy” to provide social support. Another intervention that the program has recently added is known as “Miracle Money” in which unhoused individuals who are active in Miracle Friends receive guaranteed basic income.
The overarching research questions that this study is designed to answer are:
- Is the Miracle Friends intervention associated with reduced social isolation and increased social support?
- Is the Miracle Friends intervention associated with improved housing outcomes?
- Does the addition of basic income through the Miracle Money intervention improve these outcomes of interest?
- Are there differences in outcomes based on race?
Findings
Read The Full Interim Report
Publications
Methodology/Overview
Miracle Friends and Miracle Money in California: A mixed-methods experiment of social support and guaranteed income for people experiencing homelessness - Read More