Miracle Messages Evaluation

Not Applicable

Active, not recruiting

• Conditions: Homelessness
• Interventions: Other: Social Support; Other: Basic income

• Registration Number: NCT05408884
• Lead Sponsor: University of Southern California

Brief Summary

The project will conduct a randomized control trial (RCT) of an innovative program for people experiencing homelessness (PEH) that initially designed to address social isolation and loneliness among people experiencing homelessness but subsequently paired with an economic poverty-reduction intervention. The social support intervention, known as "Miracle Friends," pairs an unhoused person with a volunteer "phone buddy." The poverty reduction intervention, known as "Miracle Money," provides guaranteed basic income of $750 per month for 1 year to Miracle Friends participants.

Detailed Description

The project will conduct a randomized control trial (RCT) of an innovative program for people experiencing homelessness (PEH) that initially designed to address social isolation and loneliness among people experiencing homelessness but subsequently paired with an economic poverty-reduction intervention. The social support intervention, known as "Miracle Friends (MF)," pairs an unhoused person with a volunteer "phone buddy." The poverty reduction intervention, known as "Miracle Money (M$)," provides guaranteed basic income of $750 per month for 1 year to MF participants. The RCT will have 3 arms of PEH who expressed interest in the phone buddy program: (1) those assigned to Miracle Friends; (2) those assigned to Miracle Money, which is not disclosed until after they actively engage in the Miracle Friends program; (3) And those assigned to a waitlist for Miracle Friends. To recruit for the study, the Miracle Friends program engage PEH through a variety of homeless services partners and introduce the MF program. Anyone who is interested in the MF program is provided information about a 15-month longitudinal study and referred to the research team to complete an eligibility screener. The research team explains the interview protocols that include receiving a $30 incentive each time a survey is completed that includes a baseline and 5 quarterly surveys. Participants will also be notified about being randomly selected to either be offered MF or put on a waitlist. Those assigned to the M$ are not notified about receiving monthly income until after they engage in the MF program. Information about frequency of contact with the MF social support volunteer and volunteer demographics will be provided directly from the Miracle Friends administrative data records.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2022-05-06
• Study First Submitted: 2022-05-26
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-06-01
• Study First Posted: 2022-06-07
• Status Verified: 2023-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-11-12
• Last Update Posted: 2023-11-15
• Primary Completion: 2024-10-01
• Study Completion: 2024-12-15

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 759

Inclusion Criteria

• being 18 years old or older;
• speaks English;
• currently experiencing homelessness;
• has expressed interest in signing up for the Miracle Friends ("phone buddy") program.

Exclusion Criteria

• not meeting the inclusion criteria;
• not able to provide informed consent.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Miracle Money	Basic income	Participants who receive $750 monthly income for 12 months based on having engaged in the Miracle Friends program
Miracle Friends	Social Support	Participants selected to receive a social support "phone buddy" program.
Miracle Money	Social Support	Participants who receive $750 monthly income for 12 months based on having engaged in the Miracle Friends program

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Homelessness/Housing status using questions from the Los Angeles Homeless Count	Measured quarterly for 15 months.	In the past 30 days, please indicate all places where you have slept for at least one night: 1. My own apartment or home 2. Someone else's apartment or home 3. In a shelter, emergency, temporary housing, 4. Hotel/motel provided by an agency 5. Outside on the street, park, or beach 6. Tent or makeshift shelter 7. In a bus station, train station, airport 8. Abandoned building 9. In a vehicle (car, van, recreation vehicle (RV), truck) 10. An institution, hospital, or facility

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Employment status using questions from the Los Angeles Homeless Count	Measured quarterly for 15 months.	What is your employment status?; 1. Employed, full-time (35 hours a week or more); 2. Employed, part-time; 3. Unemployed, looking for work; 4. Unemployed, not looking for work; 5. Retired, receiving retirement benefits; 6. Retired, not receiving benefits
Health status using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement InformationSystem (PROMIS) Scale 1.2	Measured quarterly for 15 months.	In general, how would you rate your physical/mental health?; 1. Excellent; 2. Very good; 3. Good; 4. Fair; 5. Poor
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Short Version	Measured quarterly for 15 months.	3 item questionnaire: How often do you feel that you lack companionship?; How often do you feel left out? How often do you feel isolated from others?; 1. Hardly ever; 2. Some of the time; 3. Often

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Miracle Messages; 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California, United States