Chapin Hall

As part of the Insight to Impact (i2i) partnership with Covenant House International to identify causes and solutions to youth homelessness, Chapin Hall is collaborating with Covenant House New York (CHNY) to evaluate Cash with Care, a direct cash transfer initiative designed to support young adults exiting homelessness. Launched in Fall 2025 with funding from the New York City Council, Cash with Care provides young people with flexible financial resources alongside youth-directed supportive programming to promote housing stability, economic security, and well-being during the transition to adulthood.  

To evaluate this program, Chapin Hall is leading the Supporting Transitions through Engagement with Programs (STEP) Study, a mixed-methods evaluation and longitudinal study of the programs and services that support young adults without steady housing. The study follows 120 young adults across Covenant House residential sites in New York City—60 participating in Cash with Care and 60 receiving services as usual. The research examines how direct cash assistance, combined with supportive services, influences young people’s pathways related to housing, education, employment, and overall well-being.  

Chapin Hall’s work includes collecting primary data through monthly surveys and carrying out focus groups and interviews. The study will also integrate administrative data across housing, education, employment, health, and justice systems to better understand participants’ longer-term trajectories. Throughout the project, Chapin Hall will provide rapid-cycle feedback to CHNY to strengthen service delivery in real time.  

Building on evaluation of other cash plus programs across the country for young adults experiencing homelessness, Chapin Hall experts hope to extend the STEP Study to assess sustained impacts beyond the period of cash assistance. Proposed activities include additional follow-up monthly data collection for up to one year after the intervention ends, expanded administrative data linkages for up to three years post-intervention, and enrollment of a second cohort of young adults if the Cash with Care program is expanded. These efforts will deepen understanding of which supports help young people maintain stability over time and how policies and programs can better respond to their needs.  

Together, Cash with Care and the STEP Study aim to generate actionable evidence to inform local and national conversations about direct cash assistance, service design, and system-level strategies to support young adults experiencing homelessness during critical life transitions.