THRIVE East of the River
Program overview
Direct cash assistance for low-income residents: The THRIVE East of the River program was a pilot of a direct cash assistance program that provided low-income residents an unconditional cash transfer of $5,500 and other assistance as a way to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
Partnering with CBOs to effectively deliver support: The THRIVE program, which ran over the course of five months, was implemented by four community-based organizations (CBOs) operating in a predominately Black and low-income neighborhood of DC with support from LISC DC and the Urban Institute. Each CBO took on a different role within the THRIVE program according to their organizational strengths.
Recruitment through CBOs: Program organizers intentionally set a low threshold for program enrollment: participants must reside in Ward 8, have household incomes below 50 percent of the area’s median income, and have had a relationship with with at least one of the CBOs prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each CBO recruited from among their current and previous client base.
Emphasis on flexibility for participants: A key pillar of the THRIVE program was offering participants options as to how they receive and allocate their funds. Clients were able to choose whether to take the $5,500 as a single payment or as monthly installments of $1,100. Participants received the money as a direct transfer to their bank accounts. For participants without a bank account, the THRIVE program offered other options to receive the funds, including prepaid debit cards. Participants also had full control over how they spent the money, with the most common uses being housing and food.
Additional optional services: As part of the THRIVE model, clients had access to a range of additional social services through the participating CBOs. These services include weekly groceries, monthly household goods, resource navigators, and financial coaching services.
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Guaranteed incomeWealth building
An outcomes study with a less rigorous design suggests that the THRIVE East of the River Program is a promising strategy for alleviating mental health stressors and food insecurity for people with low incomes.
A 2022 program evaluation found that participants in the THRIVE East of the River Program experienced food insecurity and certain mental health stressors at a substantially lower rate than low income individuals generally. Specifically, only 19% of THRIVE participants reported having insufficient food for their household, compared to 33% of Black and low-income residents in D.C.
Additionally, after receiving payments, THRIVE participants were slightly less worried that children in their household were experiencing difficult emotional states. However, THRIVE participants still face housing security stressors at a similar rate to all Black D.C. residents with low incomes.
Target populations particularly impacted by the crisis: When facing resource constraints, direct cash transfer programs must decide how to target their program offerings. The THRIVE program decided to deliver support to a discrete geographic area: D.C.’s Ward 8. Compared to the city as a whole, residents of Ward 8 had higher rates of unemployment, food and housing insecurity, and were more likely to work in industries shut down by the pandemic. Replications of the THRIVE program concerned with promoting equity may similarly target neighborhoods or communities that have disproportionately experienced negative social or economic outcomes.
Implement the program through pre-existing CBOs working in the community: It can be challenging to build trust between residents and new community-based organizations, particularly in communities with a history of racial exclusion and disinvestment. When designing a similar program to THRIVE, working in partnership with well-respected CBOs can be an effective strategy for building trust with community members.
Enable participants’ choice throughout the program: The THRIVE program placed full trust in its participants by ensuring the cash assistance was unconditional, allowing participants to make the choices that best suited their individual needs. This decision was grounded in racial equity and meant to foster trust within the community. In any recreation of this program, flexibility and choice should remain a key feature.
Recruit participants through CBOs: The THRIVE program was able to successfully recruit a large number of participants in a short period of time by leveraging partner CBOs’ existing client base. Each CBO recruited clients they had worked with in the past that they felt would make good candidates for enrollment in the program. Using existing lists of clientele in the area vastly streamlined the recruitment process.
Offer education on how cash assistance may affect public benefits and other assistance: As many social assistance programs have income-based eligibility requirements, receiving cash assistance can impact participants’ ability to retain their existing benefits. To address these challenges, the THRIVE program offered optional financial and legal counseling to every participant, in which they could learn about how cash assistance would impact their eligibility for benefits and decide whether monthly or one-time payments were best for them.