Lotteries of Temporary Housing Assistance during the COVID-19 Epidemic – King County

Last registered on December 21, 2021
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Lotteries of Temporary Housing Assistance during the COVID-19 Epidemic – King County
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0007167
Initial registration date
February 11, 2021

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
February 12, 2021, 11:03 AM EST

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

Last updated
December 21, 2021, 10:30 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region
Washington

Primary Investigator

Name
Seth Zissette
Affiliation
Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, University of Notre Dame
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
David Phillips
PI Affiliation
Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, University of Notre Dame
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Robert Collinson
PI Affiliation
University of Notre Dame, Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2020-08-01
End date
2022-04-01
Keywords
Other, Welfare
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This evaluation will examine lotteries of rental assistance in King County, WA (Seattle) for low-income households affected by the COVID-induced economic crisis. King County offered to pay 3 months of back rent to landlords of lottery winners. We will use lottery assignment as an instrument for payment of funds and study how such assistance affects housing stability. For approximately 6,000 participants in these lotteries, we will collect administrative records and initiate surveys to measure address changes, evictions, homelessness, payment of rent, financial status, and health. We are coordinating with researchers studying similar lotteries in other cities.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Collinson, Robert, David Phillips and Seth Zissette. 2021. "Lotteries of Temporary Housing Assistance during the COVID-19 Epidemic – King County." AEA RCT Registry. December 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7167-1.1
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2020-08-01
Intervention End Date
2021-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Payment of rent; housing stability; financial stability; health status
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This evaluation will examine lotteries of rental assistance in King County, WA (Seattle) for low-income households affected by the COVID-induced economic crisis. King County will offer to pay 3 months of back rent to landlords of lottery winners. We will use lottery assignment as an instrument for payment of funds and study how such assistance affects housing stability. For approximately 6,000 participants in these lotteries, we will collect administrative records and initiate surveys to measure address changes, evictions, homelessness, payment of rent, financial status, and health. We are coordinating with researchers studying similar lotteries in other cities. King County’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) recently created a package of financial assistance programs to efficiently distribute COVID-19 relief funds contributed by the CARES Act, the federal Eviction Rental Assistance Program, COVID-19 Community Development Block Grants, and other sources. These programs include a program to pay back rent of tenants of large landlords and mobile home parks as well as a more traditional program assisting tenants who apply for assistance. This evaluation pertains to the latter program, and people eligible for other programs will not be eligible for the lotteries we will study.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Household
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
6,000 households
Sample size: planned number of observations
6,000 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
3,000 households treatment, 3,000 households control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Notre Dame Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2021-02-01
IRB Approval Number
20-12-6355
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials