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Denver Basic Income Project

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The Denver Basic Income Project (DBIP) is a 12-month program providing unconditional cash transfers to people experiencing homelessness in Denver. The CHHR team will be conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the project to test the impact of receiving a guaranteed basic income compared to only receiving standard care and resources. The RCT will consist of three groups:

  • Group A participants will receive 12 consistent cash transfers of $1,000 each month
  • Group B participants will receive a one-time cash transfer of $6,500 during initial enrollment, in addition to receiving 11 consistent payments of $500 per month
  • Group C will be considered the comparison group, and participants will receive 12 consistent payments of $50 per month.

No services will be required of any participant in any of the three study groups. However, participants from each group are encouraged to engage in any services that they feel will be helpful.

We will use a convergent parallel mixed methods design where the quantitative and qualitative strands are carried out concurrently and with equal weight. We will have multiple data collection mechanisms including:

The research will focus on the following primary outcomes:

  • Housing
  • Financial well-being
  • Physical and psychological health
  • Family and social networks
  • Public service interactions
  • Time use
  • Experience and impact
  • Program and process