Bay Area Thriving Families

Bay Area Thriving Families is the evaluation component of the It All Adds Up initiative. The study examines whether providing unconditional cash assistance to families leaving a rapid re-housing subsidy program can improve their long-term housing stability. Launched in 2023, the study was designed in collaboration with two San Francisco homeless service providers: Compass Family Services and Hamilton Families. Over several years, the research team is enrolling 450 Bay Area families in a randomized control trial. Participants receive either $1,000 per month or $50 per month for 12 months, beginning when they exit rapid rehousing assistance. Their progress is then tracked for two years from the start of the cash assistance.

Bay Area Thriving Families is among the first studies to evaluate the effectiveness of cash assistance as a tool to address homelessness, and will generate rigorous evidence to inform the future design of rapid rehousing programs and other housing stability interventions.