Additional financial assistance programmes have received increased attention over the last decade. In low- and middle-income countries they have been used to alleviate poverty, with studies demonstrating that such interventions can lead to improved outcomes. We are pleased to share this ground-breaking project that will test cash transfers as an intervention to support people out of homelessness.

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We want to see if giving money directly to individuals with experience of street homelessness will enable them to move on from homelessness permanently. Not through a charity or a Local Authority but directly into their own bank account. We are doing this because giving money to people experiencing hardship, known as a direct cash transfer, has a strong evidence base from evaluations across the world as an effective route out of poverty. Not many programmes have tested the impact of giving personal grants to people experiencing homelessness.

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How we are going about it

We will ask 180 people with a recent history of street homelessness to take part in four cities: Manchester, Glasgow, Swansea and Oxford. Half of them, chosen by a lottery, will be given a personal grant as a single lump sum, while the others will continue to receive the support they have previously, but will not get a grant. This groundbreaking randomised controlled trial will ensure we understand the difference that money makes, or does not.

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