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An Unconditional Cash Transfer Program for Low-Income New Yorkers Affected by COVID-19
Samantha Lily Kumar1, Alessandra Calvo-Friedman2,3, Amy L Freeman4
1Office of Ambulatory Care and Population Health, NYC Health + Hospitals, 50 Water Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10004, USA. kumars11@nychhc.org.
Insights
Unconditional cash transfers of $1000 helped low-income New Yorkers facing COVID-19 impacts afford basic needs like food and rent. This financial assistance significantly improved participants' physical and mental health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Economics
- Social Determinants of Health
Background:
- COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented financial hardship for low-income populations.
- Public health emergencies necessitate innovative social support interventions.
- Integrating social services into healthcare delivery can improve patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of an unconditional cash transfer program on low-income New Yorkers affected by COVID-19.
- To understand recipients' experiences and the utilization of cash transfers.
- To assess the program's effect on health and financial well-being.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews.
- 150 telephone surveys with randomly sampled recipients.
- 20 in-depth qualitative interviews with purposefully selected participants.
Main Results:
- Most recipients (79%) reported difficulty meeting basic expenses without the $1000 transfer.
- Primary uses included food and rent, alleviating financial strain.
- Significant improvements in physical health (83%) and mental health (89%) were reported.
Conclusions:
- Unconditional cash transfers are an effective public health intervention for mitigating COVID-19's economic impact.
- The program demonstrated positive effects on financial stability and overall health.
- Integrating financial assistance into healthcare systems can address social determinants of health effectively.
Abstract:
Early in the pandemic, New York City's public hospital system partnered with multiple philanthropic foundations to offer an unconditional cash transfer program for low-income New Yorkers affected by COVID-19. The $1000 cash transfers were designed to help people meet their most immediate health and social needs and were incorporated into healthcare delivery and contact tracing workflows as a response to the public health emergency. To better understand program recipients' experiences, researchers conducted 150 telephone surveys with randomly sampled cash transfer recipients and 20 in-depth qualitative interviews with purposefully sampled survey participants. Survey participants were predominantly Latinx (87%) and women (65%). The most common reported uses of the $1000 were food and rent. Most participants (79%) reported that without the $1000 cash transfer they would have had difficulty paying for basic expenses or making ends meet, with specific positive effects reported related to food, housing, and ability to work. The majority of survey participants reported that receiving the cash assistance somewhat or greatly improved their physical health (83%) and mental health (89%). Qualitative interview results generally supported the survey findings.
