Unconditional Cash Transfer for people experiencing homelessness

Last registered on August 04, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Unconditional Cash Transfer for people experiencing homelessness
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019213
Initial registration date
July 30, 2026

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
August 04, 2026, 9:38 AM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Diana Contreras Suarez
Affiliation
University of Melbourne
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Steeve Marchand
PI Affiliation
University of Melbourne
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-08-03
End date
2032-07-01
Keywords
Labor, Welfare
Additional Keywords
Homelessness, Cash Transfer
JEL code(s)
H00, I38
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) provide direct financial support to recipients without conditions or restrictions on use. This study looks to test if a UCT offered to people experiencing homelessness works. To do so, we will implement an RCT where individuals will receive Business as Usual (BAU) or BAU and UCT. The target population are adults who are receiving services from the implementing partner and who have or are able to have a bank account. We will examine the program’s effects on primary outcomes related to homelessness service use and stable housing, as well as secondary outcomes including housing conditions, employment, wellbeing, and health. Outcome data will be collected through follow-up surveys and supplemented with linked administrative records to address potential attrition.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Contreras Suarez, Diana and Steeve Marchand. 2026. "Unconditional Cash Transfer for people experiencing homelessness." AEA RCT Registry. August 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19213-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The program under evaluation is a direct and unconditional cash transfer
Intervention Start Date
2026-08-04
Intervention End Date
2027-09-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
• The number of days in stable housing in the last 30 days (survey data);
• A binary variable indicating if the person returns to the implementing partner for services within 12 months (admin data);
• The duration of service provision by the implementing partner within 12 months (admin data).
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
The secondary outcomes are housing situation, housing stress, economic situation, wellbeing and other service use
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
1. Recruitment: will occur at the implementing partner offices among users of a specific service provided over a period of 6-7 weeks.
2. Eligibility 1: will be checked on the spot, which includes being older than 18 years, having a bank account or being able to open one in the following 3 days, not being in social housing, and not having a record of offences against children.
3. Consent: to be referred to the study and consent to participate in the study
4. Eligibility 2: Only those who completed the baseline survey will be part of the study
5. Intervention: The UCT is offered to those who are randomly allocated to the treatment group (see below the randomization unit)
6. Follow-up surveys will be sent to all individuals in the study at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months after recruitment
7. Administrative data from all individuals in the study will be linked to the survey and the treatment status
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
The randomization unit is the start day of the 5-day time windows when the program will be delivered within offices. Individuals presenting to the office for service during the study period of 7 weeks are allocated to treatment or control depending if their presentation is within the treatment periods.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
There are two dimensions of clustering: 26 offices and 5 days of the week.
Sample size: planned number of observations
1600 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We will have a total of 550 individuals in treatment and 1050 in control.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Return to the implementing partner for services within 12 months=11.41 pp (equivalent to 33.2% reduction) Days in service provision by the implementing partner within 12 months=14.56 days (equivalent to 32.2% reduction)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Office of Research Ethics and Integrity - University of Melbourne
IRB Approval Date
2026-07-02
IRB Approval Number
2026-36267-82484-4
Analysis Plan