Recovery Finance: Financial Health and Mental Health After Incarceration

Yale University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Substance Use; Financial Hardship; Mental Health Issue

Treatments: Behavioral: Financial Capability Support with Peer Support Services

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06914856

1R01MD018255-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

2000033658

Details and patient eligibility

About

This proposal will address financial wellbeing, an often overlooked but important factor impacting reentry for justice-involved people with mental health challenges, who are disproportionately Black and Latine. The project will change community level determinants by integrating financial capability support (one-on-one coaching and access to financial tools and services) into existing services and training bank and credit union staff to reduce discrimination. It will also support collaborative community efforts working towards upstream policy and legal reforms to reduce the incidence of those financial challenges.

Full description

This research project will use Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods to achieve the following specific aim:

1. Change community level determinants that impact financial well-being and health of the target group by training existing service provider including: i) community-based financial capability providers to be able to address financial difficulties of the target group; ii) service providers along the criminal justice pathway to be able to provide basic financial guidance to target group; iii) financial institution staff to reduce discrimination related to financial consequences of justice-involvement and mental illness. The investigator will also support community collaborations working for legal/policy reform that impacts finances of target group.
2. Use mixed methods to assess impact on community determinants, measuring integration of financial capability support into existing services, ability of financial coaches to support target group, access to financial products, attitudes, knowledge and behavior of bank staff, strength of community collaborations, and progress towards changes in laws and policies.
3. The investigator will assess impact on individuals by measuring target mechanisms (financial skills, self-efficacy and behavior) hypothesized to mediate the relationship between financial capability support and primary outcomes including financial well-being and other health determinants (employment, housing, social support, mental health supports, and belonging), secondary outcomes (health and recidivism) and mediators between primary and secondary outcomes (hope, empowerment, and mastery).
4. Assess the value of integrating peer support into community-based financial capability support for the target group by randomizing participants into two groups, financial capability support only, or financial capability support plus peer support.

Enrollment: 238 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Have been released from jail or prison 36 months ago or less
• Self-identify as having experiences with trauma, mental illness/mental distress, or substance use
• Living or using services in the greater New Haven area
• Interested in receiving financial guidance

Exclusion criteria

• Less than 18 years of age
• Not have been released from jail or prison 36 months ago or less
• Not self-identify as having experiences with trauma, mental illness/mental distress, or substance use
• Not living or using services in the greater New Haven area
• Not interested in receiving financial guidance

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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238 participants in 2 patient groups

Financial Capability Support

No Intervention group

Description:

The participants in this arm will receive one-on-one financial coaching, which entails monthly or more frequent meetings with a financial coach. The initial meetings will be held in person and subsequent meetings may be held via zoom, phone, or in person depending on the comfort and convenience of the participant. Participants will also receive access to safe and affordable financial services, which includes support with managing any existing bank accounts, or supporting a person to open a new overdraft-free account. Coaches can also help people to access other financial products such as free tax preparation (VITA), credit builder loans, online bank accounts, or other products recommended by our Justice Tech partner.

Financial Capability Support with Peer Support

Experimental group

Description:

The participants randomized into this arm will receive services offered in the Financial Capability Support arm with the additional services of one-on-one peer support provided by a trained Recovery Support Specialist. Recovery Support Specialist, also referred to as Wellness coaches, will provide weekly meetings (30-60 minutes in duration) to the participants.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Financial Capability Support with Peer Support Services