Overview
- The randomised controlled study involves 250 participants in London and Belfast, with 125 receiving the lump sum and 125 in a control group accessing existing support.
- Payments were made as a one‑off £2,000 transfer directly into recipients’ bank accounts with no conditions on spending.
- Early observations indicate spending on furniture, household essentials, debt repayment, training, childcare and, in some cases, a second‑hand car, with some savings reported and no adverse outcomes so far.
- King’s College London, led by Professor Michael Sanders, is independently assessing impacts on housing stability, wellbeing, financial security, social connections and contact with public services.
- The trial is funded by Citi Foundation and St Martin‑in‑the‑Fields Charity and is described as the first of its kind in the UK, modeled on a 2018 Vancouver pilot; one outlet reported pre‑payment screening that excluded people with addiction issues.