Growing Strong
Growing Strong is a guaranteed income pilot run by Win (Women in Need), New York City's largest provider of shelter for homeless families, providing unconditional monthly cash transfers to mothers with children under age 2 living in Win's central Brooklyn shelters. Launched in May 2024 and privately funded, the program gives 100 families $1,417 per month for 24 months via GiveCard prepaid debit cards, paired with voluntary weekly peer support from formerly homeless mothers. The program was designed in partnership with Vanderbilt University, The Samuels Group, and NYC's Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence (CIDI), with Vanderbilt professor Beth Shinn leading a five-year research study comparing participants to a control group of other Win shelter families.
Guaranteed Income, Homeless Shelter Mothers, Peer Support, Direct Cash Transfer, Brooklyn, GiveCard
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Win (Women in Need)
- City
- New York
- State / Province
- New York
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 212 695 4758
- info@winnyc.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 100
- Funding type
- Philanthropic, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 34,008 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,417 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Distribution Type
- Pre-paid debit card (GiveCard/Mastercard)
- Benefit details
Participants receive $1,417 per month, unconditionally, for 24 months, delivered via a GiveCard prepaid debit card. Funds can be spent without restriction. Participants also have access to voluntary weekly peer support from certified peer specialists who are mothers that previously experienced homelessness and exited the shelter system.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible participants are mothers with a child under age 2 who are experiencing homelessness and residing in one of Win's central Brooklyn shelters. Eligibility is tied to residency in specific Win shelter sites rather than a general public application. The 100-family pilot cohort was recruited at program launch in May 2024.
Demographics
- Sex
- Female
- Gender
- Female
Family
- Family Status
- Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Housing
- Housing status
- Homeless
Geography
- US states covered
- New York
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- New York City
- Counties covered
- Kings
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Vanderbilt University professor Beth Shinn serves as Principal Investigator, leading research design, participant interviews, data collection, analysis, and publication of results. The five-year study (beginning at the May 2024 launch) compares the 100 participating families to a comparison group of about 100 other Win shelter families to assess outcomes such as exits from shelter and housing stability.
Application Process
- How to apply
Not an open public application; participants are recruited from among mothers with a child under age 2 residing in Win's central Brooklyn shelters. No general public application process was found in official sources.
- Selection process
The 100-family pilot cohort was selected from residents of Win's central Brooklyn shelters who had a child under age 2 at the time of the program's May 2024 launch; the program is not an ongoing open-enrollment initiative.
