2015-32602. Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment on the: Evaluation of the Jobs Plus Pilot Program

AGENCY:

Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed information collection.

SUMMARY:

HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

DATES:

Comments Due Date: February 26, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB Control Number and should be sent to: Colette Pollard, Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 4176, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone [phone] (this is not a toll-free number) or email at [e-mail] for a copy of the proposed forms or other available information. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Colette Pollard, Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Washington, DC 20410; email Colette Pollard at [e-mail] or telephone [phone]. This is not a toll-free number. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at [phone].

Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from Ms. Pollard.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This notice informs the public that HUD is seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in Section A.

A. Overview of Information Collection

Title of Information Collection: Evaluation of the Jobs Plus Pilot Program.

OMB Approval Number: N/A.

Type of Request: New.

Form Number: N/A.

Description of the need for the information and proposed use: HUD's 2014 Appropriations included funding to support the implementation of the Jobs Plus Pilot Program, a place-based program designed to increase work and earnings among public housing residents. Nine public housing agencies (PHAs) were awarded grant funds in spring 2015, and will implement the Jobs Plus program over a period of four years. The program as designed includes three core components: 1) Employment-related services, 2) financial incentives—the Jobs Plus Earned Income Disregard (JPEID), and 3) community supports for work. The Jobs Plus program seeks to replicate the model tested under the Jobs Plus Demonstration back in the 1990s and early 2000, which led to sustained growth in earned income among residents at sites that fully implemented the program. This current generation of the Jobs Plus program, however, will differ from the Jobs Plus demonstration in some important ways—first, the current iteration of the program will benefit from a more robust financial incentive, in the form of an earned income disregard designed specifically for the Jobs Plus program, and second, the program will be implemented almost twenty years after the initial demonstration, in a very different employment market. Because of these important variations, HUD is supporting an evaluation of the Jobs Plus Pilot program, with the goal of documenting the programs established by the Jobs Plus Pilot Program grantees and laying the groundwork for a future outcomes evaluation that will seek to understand the impact of the program, both on the program participants, as well as the entire target development. Specific research objectives include, but are not limited to: describing the set of activities and partnerships established by grantees under core program components; describing the amount and type of leveraged resources accessed by each grantee; describing the extent to which grantees are successful at engaging a high percentage of residents in some aspect of program participation; documenting the ease with which PHAs implemented the JPEID; and documenting the costs of implementing and operating the Jobs Plus program. Data to be analyzed during the evaluation include administrative data, as well as data collected directly from PHAs, Jobs Plus program administrators, partners and staff, as well as residents of developments where Jobs Plus is being implemented. This request for OMB clearance includes the data collection instruments that will be utilized during two separate rounds of site visits to each of the nine program sites, including a site visit interview guide and a focus group discussion guide.

Respondents (i.e. affected public): PHAs administering the Jobs Plus Pilot program, Jobs Plus Pilot program community partners, and residents of participating developments.

Form	Respondent sample	Number of respondents	Average time to complete (minimum, maximum) in minutes	Frequency	Total burden (hours)
Site Visit Interview Guide #1	12 staff and stakeholders from all 9 Jobs Plus sites	108	90 (75-105)	1	162
Focus Group Discussion Guide #1	15 residents at each of the 9 Jobs Plus sites	135	60 (50-70)	1	202.5
Site Visit Interview Guide #1	12 staff and stakeholders from all 9 Jobs Plus sites	108	90 (75-105)	1	162
Focus Group Discussion Guide #2	15 residents at each of the 9 Jobs Plus sites	135	60 (50-70)	1	202.5
Total Burden Hours					729

B. Solicitation of Public Comment

This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affected parties concerning the collection of information described in Section A on the following:

(1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information;

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in response to these questions.

Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35.

Dated: December 16, 2015.

Katherine M. O'Regan,

Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy Development and Research.