Recovery Finance: Financial Health and Mental Health After Incarceration

NCT ID: NCT06914856

Last Updated: 2025-05-07

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 238 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-04-30
• Study Completion Date: 2026-04-24

Brief Summary

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.

Detailed 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.

Conditions

Financial Hardship; Mental Health Issue; Substance Use

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Financial Capability Support

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.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Financial Capability Support with Peer Support

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.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Financial Capability Support with Peer Support Services

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The participants in this arm will receive one-on-one financial coaching, which entails monthly or more frequent meetings with a financial coach. 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. The participants will also receive will receive 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.

Interventions

Financial Capability Support with Peer Support Services

The participants in this arm will receive one-on-one financial coaching, which entails monthly or more frequent meetings with a financial coach. 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. The participants will also receive will receive 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.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Yale University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Annie Harper, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Yale University

Chyrell Bellamy, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Yale University

Locations

Yale University Program for Recovery and Community Health

New Haven, Connecticut, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Annie Harper, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

Annie.harper@yale.edu

203-764-8602

Luz S Ocasio

Role: CONTACT

luz.ocasio@yale.edu

2037648692

Facility Contacts

Annie Harper, Ph.D.

Role: primary

Annie.harper@yale.edu

203-764-8602

Luz S Ocasio

Role: backup

luz.ocasio@yale.edu

2037648692

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Other Identifiers

1R01MD018255-01

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

2000033658

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id