2013-09237. Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment: Rental Assistance Demonstration Evaluation, Phase I

AGENCY:

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, HUD.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The proposed information collection requirement described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. HUD is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES:

Comment Due Date: June 18, 2013.

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 electronically to [e-mail] or in hard copy to: Paul Joice, Office of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 8120, Washington, DC 20410-6000. Please use “RAD Evaluation PRA Comment” in the subject line of any email.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul Joice at 202-402-4608 (this is not a toll-free number) or [e-mail], for copies of the proposed forms and other available documents. Please use “RAD Evaluation PRA Comment” in the subject line of any email.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

HUD will submit the proposed extension of information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended). This Notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information to: (1) Evaluate 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) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

This Notice also lists the following information:

Title of Proposal: Rental Assistance Demonstration Evaluation, Phase I.

OMB Control Number: Pending.

Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use: HUD is conducting an evaluation of the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), focused on the conversion of public housing developments to project-based rental assistance and project-based vouchers. The evaluation will study a sample of RAD sites and a carefully chosen group of comparison sites. Identification of comparison sites will rely heavily on analysis of existing data—including internal HUD data on public housing and public housing tenants, and neighborhood data from the American Community Survey. If there are significant differences between RAD sites and comparison sites that are not reflected in the data, the resulting evaluation will be biased. Therefore it is necessary to conduct limited information collection from local experts to learn about any “unobservable” characteristics that should influence the selection of comparison sites. This information will refine the comparison group and enable HUD to produce more rigorous estimates of program impacts.

Agency Form Numbers: None.

Members of the Affected Public: This information collection request will affect individuals involved with public and assisted housing programs in the 24 sites selected to be part of the RAD Evaluation. Up to five individuals per site will be interviewed by telephone. They will be asked to provide information about a specific public housing development undergoing conversion through RAD—specifically, they will be asked about the decision to utilize RAD at that particular development. They will also be asked to comment on other public housing properties identified by the research team as potential comparison sites. These interviews will be semi-structured, guided by an interview protocol comprising mostly open-ended questions. Interviews will take no longer than 30 minutes.

Estimate of the total number of hours needed to prepare the information collection including number of respondents, frequency of response, and hours of response: The following chart details the respondent burden:

	Number of responses	Hours per response	Total hours
Telephone interviews	120	.5	60
Total	120	.5	60

Status of the proposed information collection: Pending OMB approval.

Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended.

Dated: April 12, 2013.

Jean Lin Pao,

General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.