What if the most effective way to end homelessness is to give resources directly to the people experiencing it?

There is strong and growing evidence that cash transfers improve financial stability and housing outcomes for young people experiencing homelessness.

An estimated 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness in the United States each year.

Boston Area Youth Cash Assistance for Stable Housing (BAY-CASH) stands out as a bold and compassionate response to this emergency – putting resources directly into the hands of young people through unconditional cash transfers that honor their autonomy and support their path toward independence.

Wagner Foundation is proud to support BAY-CASH with their work to end Boston area youth homelessness by ensuring everyone has the resources they need to thrive. Senior Program Officer Lily Sargeant explains how shared values and funder alignment led to this partnership.

  • 4.2M

    youth & young adults experience homelessness in the US each year

What inspired Wagner Foundation to trust and invest in early-stage BAY-CASH?

The power of direct cash transfer first became clear to us in 2018 through our support of UpTogether, a national leader in this work. In 2021, UpTogether partnered with Cambridge Community Foundation (CCF), the City of Cambridge, and others to launch the Rise Up Cambridge pilot. This initiative supported single caretakers with children through direct cash assistance and reinforced a core belief of the foundation: people are the experts in their own lives, and when entrusted with resources, they make thoughtful decisions that strengthen their families and create positive ripple effects across entire communities.

In our early 2021 conversations with BAY-CASH about the direct cash transfer pilot, our shared values were evident. BAY-CASH was approaching cash transfers not as a theoretical idea, but as a practical, community-informed response to what young people experiencing homelessness said they needed. They were not claiming to have all the answers. Instead, BAY-CASH was asking the right questions and investing in relationships to ensure the pilot was shaped by young people and thoughtfully adapted to the local context in Massachusetts.

How does Wagner view its work within the local funding ecosystem?

We see ourselves as a trusted partner in the local funding ecosystem; one that listens and learns from those we work with and helps to align Cambridge’s rich ecosystem of funders, community organizations, and public partners to move in the same direction toward meaningful progress.

Our partnership with CCF is an example of what that can look like in practice. CCF is a trusted, place-based leader and was an early champion of direct cash transfer as a legitimate and impactful approach to economic mobility. When we learned that CCF was also supporting BAY-CASH, it reinforced our confidence in the work, and we were excited to align on this promising model.

People are the experts in their own lives, and when entrusted with resources, they make thoughtful decisions that strengthen their families and create positive ripple effects across entire communities.

Lily Sargeant, Senior Program Officer, US Partnerships

What is Wagner Foundation’s funding philosophy and ethos? Are there aspects of the foundation’s work that people may not expect from private philanthropy?

At Wagner, we take an accompaniment approach to philanthropy. For us, that means walking alongside our partners over time, listening first, and staying engaged through both moments of uncertainty and moments of progress. It reflects our deep belief that because our partners are closest to the challenges, they are also best positioned to define what success looks like.

Our approach centers relationships and seeks to move beyond transactional grantmaking. This is why we prioritize multi-year, flexible funding whenever possible. We focus on relationship-based check-ins rather than prescriptive reporting, and we try to remain flexible as the work and strategy evolves.

Because systems change takes time, we do not view early-stage or evolving work as inherently risky. Instead, we believe philanthropy has a responsibility to take thoughtful risks, particularly when communities are testing approaches that public systems are not yet equipped to support. Our partnership with BAY-CASH is an early investment in an emerging but proven model and a long-term commitment to understanding what it takes to influence broader systems over time.

 

March, 2026