The City of Pomona is launching the Pomona Household Universal Grant (HUG) program in the Summer of 2024. Pomona HUG is a pilot project that will provide 250 parents/caregivers with children under 5 years old $500 a month for 18 months. Pomona's guaranteed income (GI) initiative provides relief for the most economically vulnerable households. The study will investigate the impacts of GI on financial security, material hardship, health and well-being, food security, social support, parenting, and childhood development. The intervention group will be compared to a control group of 350 parents/caregivers receiving only a nominal ($20) amount per month during the 18 month period.
GI programs are commonly depicted as catalysts for reshaping social welfare paradigms. Such programs not only address immediate material hardship through consistent and unconditional financial support but also have the potential to confer broader societal benefits. For instance, GI programs can reduce income inequality, enhance socio-economic conditions, and improve health outcomes and overall well being. The early years of a child's life hold profound significance, as approximately 90% of brain development occurs before age five. This period lays the crucial foundation for lasting effects, presenting a valuable opportunity to implement an innovative, two-generation GI initiative in Pomona, California. By adopting a comprehensive two-generation approach, Pomona can pave the way for transformative change in equipping parents/caregivers with the means to secure basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter for themselves and their children. By alleviating the stress of financial instability, parents/caregivers are empowered to focus on their education, skill development, career prospects, and responsive parenting. Consequently, the ripple effects hold promise to disrupt the cycle of poverty, offering a brighter future for both children and their families. The investigators guiding research questions are to examine how GI impacts child, parent/caregiver, and family outcomes. The evaluation utilizes a mixed methods approach, employing a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design which includes parent surveys, home-based observations, and semi-structured qualitative interviews.The study includes a total of N=600 dyads (parent/caregiver and child), with n=250 receiving $500 GI monthly for 18 months and a control group of n=350 receiving $20 per month for the same duration. Baseline, and follow-up surveys at year 1 and year 2 will be administered to all participants. Home observations will be conducted with all 600 participants to better understand the impact of GI on parent-child relationships. Lastly, qualitative interviews will be conducted with a subset of parents receiving GI (n=30) and those who do not (n=30) to gain a deeper understanding of the intervention's impact.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
600
Participants receive $500 monthly for up to 18 months.
Participants receive $20 monthly for up to 18 months.
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States
Financial Security
Investigators use the Financial Well-being Scale developed and tested by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Raw totals are derived from the participant responses which is then converted to a financial well-being score. Scores for the self-administered abbreviated version of the scale range from 19-90. Higher scores represent a higher level of reported financial well-being.
Time frame: Measured at baseline, 1-year after the start of the intervention, and at follow-up (6 months post-intervention period)
Early Childhood Well-being
Investigators use the developmental milestones subdomain from the Survey of Well-being of Young Children (SWYC) to measure early childhood well-being. The SWYC milestones subdomain assesses the cognitive, language, and motor development of children. Respondents are asked a set of 10 questions based on their child's age. Responses are scored and total scores range from 0 - 20. A cut off is provided for each age group and when the score is above this cutoff, it indicates that a child appears to be meeting age expectations for development.
Time frame: Measured at baseline, 1-year after the start of the intervention, and at follow-up (6 months post-intervention period)
Parent-child interactions
Investigators measure this using the Healthy Families Parenting Inventory (HPFI) - Subdomain: Parent/Child Interaction, comprised of 10 questions. Reverse scoring is implemented for a set of questions. Total scores range from 10-50.
Time frame: Measured at baseline, 1-year after the start of the intervention, and at follow-up (6 months post-intervention period)
Food security
Investigators use the six-item short form of the United States Department of Agriculture Food Security Survey Module. Total scores range from 0-6 with higher scores indicating increased levels of food insecurity.
Time frame: Measured at baseline, 1-year after the start of the intervention, and at follow-up (6 months post-intervention period)
Parent/caregiver stress
Investigators use the Parental Stress Scale to measure parent/caregiver stress. Scores from the Parents Stress Scale range from 18-90. Before summing participant scores, reverse scoring is implemented for several items. Higher scores represent higher levels of parental stress.
Time frame: Measured at baseline, 1-year after the start of the intervention, and at follow-up (6 months post-intervention period)
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