Clinical trial NCT06505811: Evaluation of the Pomona Household Universal Grant (HUG) Program
Official title: Mixed-methods Evaluation of City of Pomona's Guaranteed Income Program for Parents With Children Under the Age of Four
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Early Child Well-being
Parental Stress
Family Economic Security
Parental/Caregiver Health
Mental Health
Keywords: early child development
guaranteed Income
unconditional cash transfer
parent-child relationship
poverty
financial security
Lead sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
name: City of Pomona
name: FORWARD Platform
First posted: 2024-07-17
Enrollment: 600
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: All eligible applicants will be entered into a lottery which will randomly select a total of 600 participants for the Pomona Household Universal Grant (HUG) program. Selected applicants will be assigned to one of the following groups (July 2024):

Treated Group - 250 applicants will receive 18 monthly payments in the amount of $500 each Comparison Group - 350 applicants will receive $20 stipend payments for a total of 18 months
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The City of Pomona is launching the Pomona Household Universal Grant (HUG) program in the Summer of 2024. Pomona HUG is a pilot project that will provide 250 parents/caregivers with children under 4 years old $500 a month for 18 months. Pomona's guaranteed income (GI) initiative provides relief for the most economically vulnerable households. The study will investigate the impacts of GI on financial security, material hardship, health and well-being, food security, social support, parenting, and childhood development. The intervention group will be compared to a control group of 350 parents/caregivers receiving only a nominal ($20) amount per month during the 18 month period.

Detailed description: GI programs are commonly depicted as catalysts for reshaping social welfare paradigms. Such programs not only address immediate material hardship through consistent and unconditional financial support but also have the potential to confer broader societal benefit. For instance, GI programs can reduce income inequality, enhance socio-economic conditions, and improve health outcomes and overall well being.

The early years of a child's life hold profound significance, as approximately 90% of brain development occurs before age five. This period lays the crucial foundation for lasting effects, presenting a valuable opportunity to implement an innovative two-generation GI initiative in Pomona, California. By adopting a comprehensive two-generation approach, Pomona can pave the way for transformative change in equipping parents/caregivers with the means to secure basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter for themselves and their children. By alleviating the stress of financial instability, parents/caregivers are empowered to focus on their education, skill development, career prospects, and responsive parenting. Consequently, the ripple effects hold promise to disrupt the cycle of poverty, offering a brighter future for both children and their families.

The investigators guiding research questions are to examine how GI impacts family and ecosystem outcomes. The evaluation utilizes a mixed methods approach, employing a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design which includes parent surveys, home-based observations, and semi-structured qualitative interviews.The study includes a total of N=600 dyads (parent/caregiver and child), with n=250 receiving $500 GI monthly for 18 months and a control group of n=350 receiving $20 per month for the same duration. Baseline, one-year, and follow-up surveys (at the two-year mark) will be administered to all participants. Home observations will be conducted with all 600 participants to better understand the impact of GI on parent-child relationships. Lastly, qualitative interviews will be conducted with a subset of parents receiving GI (n=30) and those who do not (n=30) to gain a deeper understanding of the intervention's impact.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

Must live in the City of Pomona;

Must be 18 years old upon application submission;

Must be the parent or legal guardian of a child aged prenatal to under 4 years old at the time of application;

Must meet at least one of the following qualifiers (#1-4):

Experienced negative impact due to the Covid-19 pandemic including:

* The participant or anyone in the participant's household experienced unemployment during the pandemic.
* The participant or anyone in the participant's household experienced increased food or housing insecurity during or as a result of the pandemic.

Home address is located within a qualified census tract (QCT).

Participant currently receiving any of the below benefits:

* Federal Pell Grants
* Free-and Reduced-Priced Lunch (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast (SBP) programs
* Head Start and/or Early Head Start
* Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
* Section 8 Vouchers : Public Housing \& Housing Choice Vouchers
* Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Social Security
* CalFresh or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
* Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
* Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
* Medicaid or MediCal
* Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
* Childcare Subsidies through Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) Program
* Household income is at or below 65% AMI (Area Median Income)

In order to be approved for the program, the participant agrees to Informed Research Consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

Individuals that do not meet one or more of the inclusion criteria listed above.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Financial Security
timeFrame: Measured at baseline, 1-year after the start of the intervention, and at follow-up (6 months post-intervention period)
measure: Early Childhood Well-being
timeFrame: Measured at baseline, 1-year after the start of the intervention, and at follow-up (6 months post-intervention period)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Parent-child interactions
timeFrame: Measured at baseline, 1-year after the start of the intervention, and at follow-up (6 months post-intervention period)
measure: Food security
timeFrame: Measured at baseline, 1-year after the start of the intervention, and at follow-up (6 months post-intervention period)
measure: Parent/caregiver stress
timeFrame: Measured at baseline, 1-year after the start of the intervention, and at follow-up (6 months post-intervention period)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Los Angeles
country: United States
facility: University of California, Los Angeles
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles
name: Judith L Perrigo, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles
name: Daniel Eisenberg, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
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citation: Perrin, E. C., Sheldrick, R. C., Visco, Z., & Mattern, K. (2016). The survey of well-being of young children (SWYC) user's manual. Boston, MA: Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.
citation: Call CC, Boness CL, Cargas S, Coakley KE. Measuring food security in university students: A comparison of the USDA 10-item and six-item food security survey modules. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2024;19(6):1325-1342. doi: 10.1080/19320248.2024.2310485. Epub 2024 Jan 30.
citation: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Measuring financial well-being: A guide to using the CFPB Financial Well-Being Scale. 2015.