Guaranteed Income to Boost HIV Care Continuity and Suppression Post-Jail Release

One-in-seven people living with HIV (PWH) experience incarceration annually. HIV prevalence among those with criminal legal involvement (CLI) is 3x higher than the general population. Upon release, PWH-CLI encounter competing priorities and structural barriers to addressing unmet basic needs, resulting in suboptimal care cascade outcomes. Guaranteed income (GI) through unconditional cash transfers can improve mental health, meet basic needs, and boost employment prospects. However, its effects on PWH-CLI, who face unique post-release challenges affecting HIV treatment retention and viral suppression, remain uncharacterized.

This three-arm pilot study will assess the feasibility, acceptability, implementation requirements, and preliminary efficacy of a GI intervention to improve HIV care in PWH-CLI released from the San Francisco County (SFC) jail. The investigators will randomize up to 33 very low-income patients discharged to a SFDPH network HIV clinic to 1 of 3 arms: A) one lump-sum payment of $6,750; B) 9-monthly installments of $750; or C) "preference" (patient chooses either A or B). The investigators will offer opt-in financial mentoring (FM) sessions during the pilot to bolster GI impacts. Clinical appointment and viral load outcome data will be collected from medical records. All patients will complete quantitative surveys (1 baseline, 2 follow-up) to assess GI experience, patient context, and acceptability. Baseline and endline qualitative interviews with patients (n=12; 4/arm) will explore the GI experience, impacts on HIV treatment, and critical implementation questions to inform future research and policy. Qualitative interviews with system partners (n=10) will explore community perceptions of GI and opportunities to integrate GI in HIV programming and policy.

Given PWH-CLI's economic and social marginalization, the investigators will leverage an existing retrospective cohort of PWH-CLI released from SFC jail as historical controls to test preliminary efficacy against pilot participants - comparing clinical appointments and viral load - instead of utilizing a concurrent no-GI control group. Variation in GI disbursement will provide needed data on acceptability and preliminary efficacy of distribution modes and the role of patient agency in pilot outcomes and overall engagement.

The investigators will pilot a GI intervention for PWH-CLI leaving SFC jail, aiming to reduce structural barriers to care and improve HIV care cascade engagement. The specific aims are to:

(Aim 1) Determine GI intervention acceptability among PWH-CLI and stakeholders. The investigators will explore patient preference for GI disbursement and if GI mode impacts successful HIV care engagement and study procedures through longitudinal qualitative interviews. Thematic analysis will elucidate individual impacts of GI amidst contextual facilitators and barriers to care. Qualitative interviews with system partners will gauge community and policy perceptions of GI intervention acceptability and optimal means to integrate.

(Aim 2) Assess GI intervention feasibility and implementation barriers/opportunities for PWH-CLI. Feasibility measures include differences in study engagement (FM uptake, surveys) by randomization arm. The investigators will assess reported GI receipt experience for PWH-CLI who do/not access other safety net programs and for those experiencing unstable housing, residential treatment programs, and re-incarceration to understand overlap and benefit combinations with other state/county programs to optimize future implementation.

(Aim 3) Test preliminary efficacy of the GI intervention on improving HIV care outcomes. By randomization arm, the investigators will compare the percentage linked to an HIV care provider within 30 days of jail release, retained in HIV care (>= 2 visit >=90 days apart), and virally suppressed at 9 months. GI pilot HIV cascade outcomes will be compared to propensity-matched historical controls from our retrospective cohort of PWH-CLI. The investigators will also assess group differences in re-incarceration rates.

A significant subset of PWH, PWH-CLI are among the least retained in HIV care and adherent to ART. This research will bridge current knowledge gaps by testing GI implementation strategies, assessing community support and integration opportunities, and testing preliminary efficacy in HIV care outcomes to inform a large-scale trial.