Impacts of Partial Rent Subsidies: Experimental Evidence from the San Diego Shallow Rent Subsidy Program

Last registered on October 23, 2025
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Impacts of Partial Rent Subsidies: Experimental Evidence from the San Diego Shallow Rent Subsidy Program
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017054
Initial registration date
October 20, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 23, 2025, 7:08 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
Dayanand Manoli
Affiliation
Georgetown University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ricardo Basurto
PI Affiliation
County of San Diego, Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Johanna Avelar
PI Affiliation
County of San Diego, Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Katharina Hammler
PI Affiliation
County of San Diego, Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Courtney Hall
PI Affiliation
County of San Diego, Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Sarah Rosenberg
PI Affiliation
County of San Diego, Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-01-01
End date
2028-12-31
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
housing stability, homelessness prevention, partial rent subsidy
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This analysis will evaluate the impacts of providing rental assistance on reducing homelessness among older adults. The analysis is based on a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Eligibility for participation in the RCT is determined based on residency within San Diego County, CA, having a head of household who is aged 55 or older, having income at or below 50% Area Median Income, and being severely rent-burdened. Eligible individuals are randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Individuals in the treatment group receive a $500 monthly rent subsidy over a period of 18-30 months.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Avelar, Johanna et al. 2025. "Impacts of Partial Rent Subsidies: Experimental Evidence from the San Diego Shallow Rent Subsidy Program." AEA RCT Registry. October 23. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17054-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2023-01-01
Intervention End Date
2027-07-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcome for the analysis will be homelessness.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
This outcome will be measured at multiple points in time using HMIS data.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Beyond this primary outcome, the empirical analysis will examine impacts on multiple secondary outcomes related to housing instability and economic well-being.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Eligibility for participation in the RCT is determined based on residency within San Diego County, CA, having a head of household who is aged 55 or older, having income at or below 50% Area Median Income, and being severely rent-burdened. Eligible individuals are randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Individuals in the treatment group receive a $500 monthly rent subsidy over a period of 18-30 months. The first-round randomization was in September 2023, and the second-round randomization was in February and November 2024.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1053
Sample size: planned number of observations
1053
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
382
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
BRANY IRB
IRB Approval Date
2024-03-20
IRB Approval Number
24-046-1659
Analysis Plan

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information