San Antonio Generating Opportunities for Achieving Lasting Success (G.O.A.L.S.) Initiative

The cash assistance program provides monthly cash payments of $500 to participants via pre-paid debit cards for a period of 24 months. Participants are able to use these funds in the ways that make the most sense to them for their own lives. Empower House SA hosts the cash assistance program and met with applicants selected for this program before enrolling them to inform them of the potential impact of participation on their eligibility for other programs and how their transfers should be reported (i.e., as cash gifts rather than as income).

2022-11-01

2025-05-31

The primary outcomes are measured at baseline and every six months until the end of the two-year period.

Savings and debt

Material hardship:
Difficulty paying for or obtaining access to food
Ability to pay for housing and utilities
Concerns about housing and neighborhood (e.g., eviction and safety)
Problems with transportation
Issues with childcare
Health insurance coverage
Foregone health care or medication due to cost

Finances:
Achievements
Difficulties

We will examine heterogeneous treatment effects by Federal Poverty Level and other indicators of hardship and vulnerability at baseline (e.g., housing and family structure).

The secondary outcomes are measured at baseline and every six months until the end of the two-year period.

Education and Employment:
Enrollment in courses and training programs
Employment consistent with desires

Physical health:
Self-reported physical health
Interference with activities

Mental health:
Self-reported mental health
Symptoms of anxiety and depression
Interference with activities

Subjective well-being:
Stress in specific domains
Quality of life
Cantril’s ladder
Social and community engagement
Satisfaction with quality and quantity of time spent with children

Finances:
Knowledge

We will examine heterogeneous treatment effects by Federal Poverty Level and other indicators of hardship and vulnerability at baseline (e.g., housing and family structure).

This study has three treatment arms, two of which provide cash assistance to participants. We began recruiting participants in the summer of 2022 and completed this phase in spring of 2023. The flyers advertising the San Antonio G.O.A.L.S. Initiative mentioned the possibility of receiving various resources "to help meet your goals and needs” and that participation in the study was a two-year commitment that involved taking five surveys about their experiences. The flyers also stated that only one individual per household could participate in the study. The only monetary detail provided on the flyers was the total value of the gift cards they would receive for taking all five surveys. The program was advertised in both English and Spanish through radio and television news stories, social media, and recruitment at community events.

Not available

To be eligible for the study participants had to reside in one of the following San Antonio ZIP Codes with high levels of poverty: 78201, 78228, 78237, 78207, 78204, 78225, 78214, 78221, 78224, 78226, 78211, 78222, 78217. They also had to be between the ages of 18 and 60 and have a household income at or below 150% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Individuals receiving SSI or SSDI at the time of the application were ineligible for the study because participation in the program could affect their benefits.

Initial applications were screened for eligibility. If there were multiple applications from the same residential address, a single application was selected at random. Family Service then reached out via phone, text, and e-mail to individuals whose applications were eligible for the study and verified all eligibility criteria with each applicant. Applicants were asked to provide proof of age, address, and income. Applicants who were determined to be ineligible during the verification process or who declined to participate in the verification process were not invited to participate in the study and provided with community resource referrals.

Verified applicants were grouped according to their reported FPL: 0-50% of the FPL; 50-100% of the FPL; and 100-150% of the FPL. Within each FPL grouping, applicants were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. This stratified randomization process ensured that each trial group would have a similar distribution of FPL levels. Once randomized into a trial group, applicants were notified of their selection into San Antonio G.O.A.L.S. and invited to enroll.

Individuals

No

San Antonio ZIP Codes with high levels of poverty.

The initial targets for enrollment were as follows: Program participants: 325 Control group: 200

213 control
125 cash
135 other treatment
125 cash plus other treatment ("cash plus")