Miracle Messages Evaluation

Homelessness Clinical Trial

Official title:

Miracle Friends and Miracle Money Evaluation

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Active, not recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05408884
• Other study ID #: UP-22-00242
• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: May 6, 2022
• Est. completion date: December 15, 2024

Study information

• Verified date: November 2023
• Source: University of Southern California
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The project will conduct a randomized control trial (RCT) of an innovative program for people experiencing homelessness (PEH) that initially designed to address social isolation and loneliness among people experiencing homelessness but subsequently paired with an economic poverty-reduction intervention. The social support intervention, known as "Miracle Friends," pairs an unhoused person with a volunteer "phone buddy." The poverty reduction intervention, known as "Miracle Money," provides guaranteed basic income of $750 per month for 1 year to Miracle Friends participants.

Description:

The project will conduct a randomized control trial (RCT) of an innovative program for people experiencing homelessness (PEH) that initially designed to address social isolation and loneliness among people experiencing homelessness but subsequently paired with an economic poverty-reduction intervention. The social support intervention, known as "Miracle Friends (MF)," pairs an unhoused person with a volunteer "phone buddy." The poverty reduction intervention, known as "Miracle Money (M$)," provides guaranteed basic income of $750 per month for 1 year to MF participants. The RCT will have 3 arms of PEH who expressed interest in the phone buddy program: (1) those assigned to Miracle Friends; (2) those assigned to Miracle Money, which is not disclosed until after they actively engage in the Miracle Friends program; (3) And those assigned to a waitlist for Miracle Friends. To recruit for the study, the Miracle Friends program engage PEH through a variety of homeless services partners and introduce the MF program. Anyone who is interested in the MF program is provided information about a 15-month longitudinal study and referred to the research team to complete an eligibility screener. The research team explains the interview protocols that include receiving a $30 incentive each time a survey is completed that includes a baseline and 5 quarterly surveys. Participants will also be notified about being randomly selected to either be offered MF or put on a waitlist. Those assigned to the M$ are not notified about receiving monthly income until after they engage in the MF program. Information about frequency of contact with the MF social support volunteer and volunteer demographics will be provided directly from the Miracle Friends administrative data records.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Enrollment: 759
• Est. completion date: December 15, 2024
• Est. primary completion date: October 1, 2024
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• being 18 years old or older;
• speaks English;
• currently experiencing homelessness;
• has expressed interest in signing up for the Miracle Friends ("phone buddy") program.

Exclusion Criteria:

• not meeting the inclusion criteria;
• not able to provide informed consent.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Homelessness

Intervention

Other:
• Social Support
Social support "phone buddy" program.
• Basic income
$750 per month for 12 months

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Miracle Messages	Los Angeles	California

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Southern California	Miracle Messages

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Homelessness/Housing status using questions from the Los Angeles Homeless Count	In the past 30 days, please indicate all places where you have slept for at least one night: 1. My own apartment or home 2. Someone else's apartment or home 3. In a shelter, emergency, temporary housing, 4. Hotel/motel provided by an agency 5. Outside on the street, park, or beach 6. Tent or makeshift shelter 7. In a bus station, train station, airport 8. Abandoned building 9. In a vehicle (car, van, recreation vehicle (RV), truck) 10. An institution, hospital, or facility	Measured quarterly for 15 months.
Secondary	Employment status using questions from the Los Angeles Homeless Count	What is your employment status?; Employed, full-time (35 hours a week or more); Employed, part-time; Unemployed, looking for work; Unemployed, not looking for work; Retired, receiving retirement benefits; Retired, not receiving benefits	Measured quarterly for 15 months.
Secondary	Health status using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement InformationSystem (PROMIS) Scale 1.2	In general, how would you rate your physical/mental health?; Excellent; Very good; Good; Fair; Poor	Measured quarterly for 15 months.
Secondary	University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Short Version	3 item questionnaire: How often do you feel that you lack companionship?; How often do you feel left out? How often do you feel isolated from others?; Hardly ever; Some of the time; Often	Measured quarterly for 15 months.