Why This Matters

This brief offers exploratory insights into the effects of $500 monthly cash transfers on the well-being of parents and children in households affected by domestic violence. Service providers and scholars focused on improving survivor safety, stability, and autonomy and child well-being may further explore economic support services and policies for improving short- and long-term outcomes.

What We Found

• Most of the participants reported spending the $500 monthly payment primarily on basic needs (e.g., food, clothing, and household items), utilities, transportation, and special things that enhance children’s lives or education (e.g., toys, uniforms, and afterschool activities).
• More participants were able to meet basic needs over the course of the program than at the start of the program.
• The number of participants reporting anxiety and depression dropped notably from the start of the program to the one-year follow-up. However, at the two-year exit, improvements in anxiety had faded, while improvements in depression had diminished but remained. This may be due to concerns about the impending loss of cash assistance.
• More participants reported that their children received the child care and health care they needed within the last 30 days at the one-year follow-up and the two-year exit than at the start of the program.

How We Did It

As the primary form of data collection for this study, we conducted surveys with 45 families enrolled in the RISE Trust program. Participants filled out a survey at the start of the program in March 2023, a follow-up survey in March 2024, and a final exit survey in March 2025. The overall response rates were 82 percent (n = 37) for the surveys at the start of the program and the one-year follow-up, and 95 percent (n = 40) for the exit survey at two years.