More than Money, Rebuilding Trust Through Miracle Money Program
Author, Helena Batey | 3/29/2022
After a year of running Miracle Friends, we had learned a lot. While social support can act as a buffer for stress and help rebuild trust and willingness to accept help, it is not enough to help individuals exit homelessness.
Basic income has a lot of benefits and “has been shown to empower recipients to use the money on things that will move them forward, while restoring their sense of agency, dignity, sense of wellbeing, and confidence” (Foundations for Social Change, n.d.) making a strong case for it to be implemented through Miracle Messages staff and volunteers.
Miracle Money Blueprint
Goals were written and taken into account for participant selection but during the program, participants were given full control over their funds. In a study on nonprofit’s cash transfer programs to alleviate houselessness, program participant Ray shares how this agency made him feel.
“They allowed me to make decisions for myself: “Having someone come up to you and say, “I trust you,” goes a long way” (Stanford Social Innovation Review , Stephanie Wykstra )
Miracle Money rebuilds trust and gives individuals the confidence to reintegrate and participate in society through income. Unhoused individuals have faced various traumas and have often lost the ability to trust when others say they will help them. Having consistent access to financial support is something that hasn’t been available to them in a long time. Another Miracle Money recipient adds that:
“It has helped me go from trying to handle everything on my own to being open to help. I’m able to trust a lot more”
Miracle Money gave individuals the ability to look beyond their day to day basic needs and plan for their future. Interestingly, it allowed recipients to give back and contribute to society in the ways they wanted to. One participant decided to use some of her money to give back and donate to charity.
Program Participant Ray (left) with Miracle Friend Jen (right)
Building off of the relationships formed in Miracle Friends, Miracle Messages started a pilot of Miracle Money, a basic income program combining direct cash transfers in the Bay Area and social support from Miracle Friends. Given the turbulence of 2020, Miracle Messages knew it could have a strong impact for those in need by piloting Miracle Money in early 2021. We completed the program evaluation in January 2022, and simply put, the results are astonishing:
66% of unhoused individuals secured independent housing.
77% reported lower levels of psychological distress.
85% had improved connections with their social community.
100% stated they felt more financially secure.
This program was funded through individual donors and online support. You can make a difference in the unhoused community today by fundraising or volunteering to be a friend.
Want to read more about Miracle Money? Click here
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