Financial HardshipNCT06914856
Recovery Finance: Financial Health and Mental Health After Incarceration
A study testing Financial Capability Support with Peer Support Services in people with Financial Hardship and Mental Health Issue, run by Yale University at 1 site in United States.
Trial 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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Financial Hardship, Mental Health Issue, Substance Use
- What is being tested?
- Financial Capability Support with Peer Support Services
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 239 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 30 Apr 2024to 22 Sep 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 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
Who cannot join
- 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
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Yale University Program for Recovery and Community Health
New Haven, Connecticut, 06513
About this study
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.
Read the detailed description
This research project will use Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods to achieve the following specific aim:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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
- Being tested
- Financial Capability Support with Peer Support Services
- Keywords
- Financial Health, Incarceration, Mental Health, Substance Use
- Medical subject headings
- Financial Stress, Substance-Related Disorders, Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Financial Capability Support with Peer Support ServicesBehavioural
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.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Capability Support | No intervention | 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. |
| Financial Capability Support with Peer Support | Experimental | 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. Receives: Behavioral: Financial Capability Support with Peer Support Services |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Finances After Incarceration
57 questions (plus sub-questions) measuring financial health after incarceration. Outcomes include: use of safe and affordable financial products (no/yes averaged across multiple products, range 0-1), Savings (ordinal scale for amount of savings, range 1-8), Credit score (ordinal scale for range of credit scores, range 0-6). Measuring change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Money And Mental Health Scale
9-item survey used to measure money and mental health, including financial well-being. Total score range is 0-4, Higher scores indicate worse effect of money on mental health. Measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Housing & Employment - QOL
21-items selected from the Endicott Quality of Life measuring housing and employment. Subscales include satisfaction with living situation, satisfaction with safety, and satisfaction with work. Satisfaction rating scales range from 1-7 with higher scores indicating more satisfaction. An additional outcome is number of days worked in the last 90 days. For both satisfaction and number of days worked, measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Social Needs Screening Tool (CMS-AHC HRSN)
24-item screening tool assessing social determinants of health. Outcomes include financial strain (1-3), employment help needed (1-3), living situation (1-3). Higher scores indicate more social needs. Measuring change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Service Utilization
31-item survey used to measure utilization of health and mental health services. Outcomes are indicated by subscales measuring number of visits to medical care outpatient, medical emergency services, mental health outpatient, mental health emergency services, psychiatric rehabilitation services, self-help programs, and alcohol/drug counseling. Other subscales indicate number of nights in a facility for a medical/surgical problem, psychiatric problem, substance use problem, or staffed residential facility. Answer formats are number of visits or days. Higher scores indicate more service use. Measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Access To Health Services (from Phenx Toolkit)
10 questions measuring access to healthcare services. Outcomes include wellness visit in the past year (yes/no), delaying/missing medical care because of the cost (yes/no), number of urgent care visits, having a usual place to go for medical care (no, yes, multiple). Measuring change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Intersectional Discrimination Index
44-items (with branching logic) assessing discrimination, rating scales vary by question. Anticipated discrimination subscale ranges from 0-4, meaned across items. Lifetime day-to-day discrimination subscale ranges from 0-9, summed across items. Past year day-to-day discrimination subscale ranges from 0-18, summed across items. Lifetime major discrimination subscale ranges from 0-26, summed across items. Past year major discrimination subscale ranges from 0-13, summed across items. Higher scores indicate more discrimination. Measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Secondary outcomes (7)
Recidivism
Number of days spent in jail/prison in last 6 months. The data are assessed through self-report and the public access criminal database called ctlookup.org. Measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Wellness in 8 Dimensions Inventory
67-item survey measuring wellness, rating scale 1-4, summary score meaned across items. Total score range is 1-4. Higher scores indicate higher wellness. Measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
SF-12v2 (Short Form Health Survey)
12-item survey measuring health, question format varies. Subscale range is 0-4 for Physical Component/Limitations Summary and Mental Component/Limitations Summary. Higher scores indicate more interference with daily living due to health problems. Measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Promis 1.0 - Anxiety for DSM-5
8-item survey measuring anxiety. Rating scale is 1-5, summary score is meaned across items. Total score range from 1-5. Higher scores indicate more anxiety. Measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
10-item survey measuring depression, rating scale is 0-3, summary score meaned across items. Total score ranges from 0-3. Higher scores indicating more depression. Measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
PCL-5, (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5)
20-item survey measuring trauma. Rating scale is 0-4, summary score meaned across items. Total score range is 0-4. Higher scores indicate more traumatic symptoms. Measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Addiction Severity Index (ASI) Limited Form
37-item survey measuring addiction with higher scores indicating more addiction, question format varies. Rating scale total score range from 0-4. Total scores range 0-1 for Alcohol Use Composite Score and Drug Use Composite Score. Higher scores indicate more alcohol or drug use/problems. Measuring mean change over time.
Measured: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Apr 2025
- Study start30 Apr 2024
- Primary completion22 Sep 2026
- Study completion22 Sep 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Financial HardshipStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Yale UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 239 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Yale University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Annie Harper, Ph.D., Principal investigator, Yale UniversityChyrell Bellamy, Ph.D., Principal investigator, Yale University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06914856
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2000033658
- Other IDs
- 1R01MD018255-01
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 11 Jul 2024
- Last updated
- 4 Nov 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Data will be shared via the National Data Archive (NDA).
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Nov 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Recovery Finance: Financial Health and Mental Health After Incarceration
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06914856
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2000033658
- Conditions
- Financial Hardship, Mental Health Issue, Substance Use
- Keywords
- Financial Health, Incarceration, Mental Health, Substance Use
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 239 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Yale UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
- Study start
- 30 Apr 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 22 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 22 Sep 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 6 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Capability Support | No intervention | –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. |
| Financial Capability Support with Peer Support | Experimental | Behavioral: Financial Capability Support with Peer Support ServicesThe 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. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 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
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- 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
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Capability Support with Peer Support ServicesThe 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. | Behavioural | Financial Capability Support with Peer Support |
Primary outcome
Finances After Incarceration
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
57 questions (plus sub-questions) measuring financial health after incarceration. Outcomes include: use of safe and affordable financial products (no/yes averaged across multiple products, range 0-1), Savings (ordinal scale for amount of savings, range 1-8), Credit score (ordinal scale for range of credit scores, range 0-6). Measuring change over time.
Money And Mental Health Scale
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
9-item survey used to measure money and mental health, including financial well-being. Total score range is 0-4, Higher scores indicate worse effect of money on mental health. Measuring mean change over time.
Housing & Employment - QOL
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
21-items selected from the Endicott Quality of Life measuring housing and employment. Subscales include satisfaction with living situation, satisfaction with safety, and satisfaction with work. Satisfaction rating scales range from 1-7 with higher scores indicating more satisfaction. An additional outcome is number of days worked in the last 90 days. For both satisfaction and number of days worked, measuring mean change over time.
Social Needs Screening Tool (CMS-AHC HRSN)
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
24-item screening tool assessing social determinants of health. Outcomes include financial strain (1-3), employment help needed (1-3), living situation (1-3). Higher scores indicate more social needs. Measuring change over time.
Service Utilization
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
31-item survey used to measure utilization of health and mental health services. Outcomes are indicated by subscales measuring number of visits to medical care outpatient, medical emergency services, mental health outpatient, mental health emergency services, psychiatric rehabilitation services, self-help programs, and alcohol/drug counseling. Other subscales indicate number of nights in a facility for a medical/surgical problem, psychiatric problem, substance use problem, or staffed residential facility. Answer formats are number of visits or days. Higher scores indicate more service use. Measuring mean change over time.
Access To Health Services (from Phenx Toolkit)
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
10 questions measuring access to healthcare services. Outcomes include wellness visit in the past year (yes/no), delaying/missing medical care because of the cost (yes/no), number of urgent care visits, having a usual place to go for medical care (no, yes, multiple). Measuring change over time.
Intersectional Discrimination Index
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
44-items (with branching logic) assessing discrimination, rating scales vary by question. Anticipated discrimination subscale ranges from 0-4, meaned across items. Lifetime day-to-day discrimination subscale ranges from 0-9, summed across items. Past year day-to-day discrimination subscale ranges from 0-18, summed across items. Lifetime major discrimination subscale ranges from 0-26, summed across items. Past year major discrimination subscale ranges from 0-13, summed across items. Higher scores indicate more discrimination. Measuring mean change over time.
7 secondary outcomes
Recidivism
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Wellness in 8 Dimensions Inventory
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
SF-12v2 (Short Form Health Survey)
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Promis 1.0 - Anxiety for DSM-5
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
PCL-5, (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5)
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Addiction Severity Index (ASI) Limited Form
Time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 4 Nov 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Data will be shared via the National Data Archive (NDA).
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Annie Harper, Ph.D. principal investigator
Yale University
Chyrell Bellamy, Ph.D. principal investigator
Yale University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Financial Capability Support with Peer Support Services in people with Financial Hardship and Mental Health Issue, run by Yale University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Nov 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Finances After Incarceration (time frame: Baseline Assessment, 6-Month Assessment, and 12-Month Assessment). The study lists 7 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Nov 2026.