Bay Area Thriving Families
Bay Area Thriving Families (publicly branded as "It All Adds Up") is a randomized controlled trial testing whether unconditional cash payments help families who have experienced homelessness in San Francisco achieve long-term housing stability after exiting rapid rehousing. The study is led by the Housing Solutions Lab at the NYU Furman Center in partnership with implementing nonprofits Compass Family Services and Hamilton Families. Enrolled families are randomly assigned to receive either $1,000 or $50 per month for 12 months as they transition off their rapid rehousing subsidy. It is funded by Google.org, J-PAL North America, HUD, and other private and public sources, with NYU evaluating effects on housing stability, income, employment, and well-being.
Guaranteed Basic Income, Homelessness Prevention, Rapid Rehousing Exit, Randomized Controlled Trial, Family Homelessness, San Francisco Bay Area
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- The Housing Solutions Lab at the NYU Furman Center, Compass Family Services, Hamilton Families
- City
- San Francisco
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 415 644 0504
- info@compass-sf.org
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Rolling
- Number of recipients
- 121
- Funding type
- Government, Philanthropic, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 12,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,000 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Debit Card
- Benefit details
Participants are randomly assigned via RCT to a treatment group receiving $1,000/month or a control group receiving $50/month, both for 12 months, with no restrictions on how funds are used. Payments begin one to three months before a family's rapid rehousing subsidy ends and are deposited automatically into a bank account set up for the family through a payment vendor, accessible via debit card or transfer. The study aims to enroll up to 450 families total (225 per arm); 121 had enrolled as of the source data. Roughly 65 families also participate in a qualitative interview component conducted with the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligibility is limited to families with children who are current clients of Compass Family Services' or Hamilton Families' rapid rehousing/rental subsidy programs in San Francisco, typically enrolled within one to three months of their subsidy ending. Families receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are not eligible. The program is not open to public application — eligible families are identified and invited to participate by case managers as part of standard case management, and must consent to share data for the research evaluation.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Housing
- Housing status
- Homeless
Financial
- Currently receiving government benefits
- Disqualifying
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- San Francisco
- Counties covered
- San Francisco County
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Rapid rehousing / rental subsidy program through Compass Family Services or Hamilton Families (prerequisite for eligibility)
- Research / participation requirements
The evaluation is led by the Housing Solutions Lab at the NYU Furman Center in partnership with J-PAL North America. Participants consent to have administrative data (housing stability, returns to homelessness, rent burden) and survey data (employment, income, savings, debt, food security, health, psychological well-being) collected for up to a year after payments end. A subsample of about 65 participants also take part in qualitative interviews conducted with the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley.
Application Process
- How to apply
Not open to public application. Case managers at Compass Family Services or Hamilton Families identify eligible families in their rapid rehousing programs within roughly three months of the family's scheduled subsidy completion, explain the study, and offer families the chance to opt in and consent to participate.
- Selection process
Eligible families (current Compass or Hamilton rapid rehousing clients nearing subsidy end, not receiving SSI) who consent to participate are randomly assigned through a randomized controlled trial to receive either $1,000/month (treatment) or $50/month (control) for 12 months.
