The Potential of a Universal Basic Income for Justice-Involved Black Men at Historical Colleges and Universities under the Second Chance Pell Experimental Site Initiative

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PROJECT SUMMARY The diversity supplement (DS) was designed to promote diversity in health-related research by developing underrepresented populations as independent investigators. The proposed DS seeks support for a representative of that population to pursue and transition into mainstream National Institutes of Health support as stated in the proposed research-training plan. The parent grant identified structural racism and discrimination as a complex driver of racial inequities by sustaining racial health disparities in the U.S. for justice-involved Black men 45 years of age and older. In Aim 2 of the parent grant, a stage 3 efficacy study will test a novel intervention that directly reduces the racial income gap by providing a universal basic income (UBI). The diversity supplement fills an important gap in the parent grant research by addressing racial inequities and health disparities with younger justice-involved (JI) Black men 18—45 years of age who participate in the Second Chance Pell Experimental Site Initiative (ESI) at one of 2 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in central Arkansas. JI Black men who participate in the ESI face many barriers after reentry such as obtaining employment, finding suitable housing, paying fines and fees, which impacts overall health, and limits their ability to sustain their education and degree completion program. In Aim 1, we will conduct semi-structured one-on-one interviews with administrators, staff, and faculty at 2 HBCUs that administer the ESI program (n=20). These interviews will be informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and will address the overall environment, infrastructure, organizational capacity, barriers, and facilitators around implementing a pilot UBI intervention. In addition, we will examine the perceptions of administrators and staff regarding the distribution of a UBI to support JI Black men ESI students. In Aim 2, we will randomly select JI Black men ESI students from a subsample of ESI student rosters provided by the ESI Program Directors at 2 HBCUs who are currently enrolled in classes to participate in semi- structured one-on-one interviews (n=20). The participants will be asked to discuss how income, or the lack thereof, impacts their health, which affects academic achievement, college persistence, number of judicial incidents, and retention. We will examine the feasibility of a UBI as a practical intervention for JI Black men ESI students who attend one of 2 HBCUs. Our future goal is to conduct a pilot study of members of this vulnerable population.