An Unconditional Cash Transfer Program for Low-Income New Yorkers Affected by COVID-19

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. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11524-022-00693-9.

Understanding the impact of a social support program in Immokalee, FL, during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Similar findings were seen also in another study examining one-time cash transfers of $1000 to individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 in New York from May 2020 to May 2021. The authors concluded that after receiving a cash transfer, individuals made "rational decisions to support their health and wellbeing rather than "misusing" funds on temptation goods such as alcohol" [8]. Additionally, our study revealed that nearly all recipients surveyed were able to self-isolate for 10 days as advised, which suggests that individuals in our sample had an awareness of and desire to comply with public health measures within their community.…”

Vicious and Virtuous Cycles in Health

“…Seventy-nine percent of recipients reported that without the $1000 transfer, they would have had difficulty making ends meet . Most importantly, they used the money for food and rent.…”

“…Seventy-nine percent of recipients reported that without the $1000 transfer, they would have had difficulty making ends meet. 6 Most importantly, they used the money for food and rent. Other interventions can help support multiple family members in times of duress such as when they need burial assistance or through nurse visiting programs for first-time parents.…”

Cities as Platforms for Population Health: Past, Present, and Future

“…In New York City, where the initiative was spearheaded by the public safety-net hospital system, the cash transfers were used for food, shelter, and supplemental oxygen for home use to support COVID-19 recovery. 101 Cash transfers and other poverty reduction measures can be considered to various degrees in cities, designed based on the levels of economic inequality and prevailing political sentiment. The potential for tax policy-including expansions of the earned income and child tax credits as well as proposed taxes on wealth-to redistribute resources must be part of this conversation given the deep connection between wealth accumulation and population health and the persistence of racial wealth gaps that constrain health equity.…”

“…During the COVID‐19 pandemic, municipalities in Ontario, Canada, 100 and New York tested unconditional cash transfers. In New York City, where the initiative was spearheaded by the public safety‐net hospital system, the cash transfers were used for food, shelter, and supplemental oxygen for home use to support COVID‐19 recovery 101 …”