Miracle Messages Evaluation

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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
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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.

Official Title
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Miracle Friends and Miracle Money Evaluation

Conditions
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Homelessness

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Social Support
* Other: Basic income


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Miracle Friends<br>Participants selected to receive a social support phone buddy program. | Other: Social Support<br>* Social support phone buddy program.<br>* Other names: Miracle Friends;|
| No Intervention: waitlist<br>Waitlisted for the social support phone buddy program. | |
| Experimental: Miracle Money<br>Participants who receive $750 monthly income for 12 months based on having engaged in the Miracle Friends program | Other: Social Support<br>* Social support phone buddy program.<br>* Other names: Miracle Friends;Other: Basic income<br>* $750 per month for 12 months<br>* Other names: Miracle Money;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Homelessness/Housing status using questions from the Los Angeles Homeless Count | 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 | Measured quarterly for 15 months. | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Employment status using questions from the Los Angeles Homeless Count | What is your employment status? Employed, full-time (35 hours a week or more) Employed, part-time Unemployed, looking for work Unemployed, not looking for work Retired, receiving retirement benefits Retired, not receiving benefits | Measured quarterly for 15 months. | 
| Health status using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement InformationSystem (PROMIS) Scale 1.2 | In general, how would you rate your physical/mental health? Excellent Very good Good Fair Poor | Measured quarterly for 15 months. | 
| University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Short Version | 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? Hardly ever Some of the time Often | Measured quarterly for 15 months. |