80 FR 80790 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment on the: Evaluation of the Jobs Plus Pilot Program

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 248 (December 28, 2015)

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.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 248 (Monday, December 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80790-80791]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32602]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5837-N-06]


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 
202-402-3400 (this is not a toll-free number) or email at 
[email protected] 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 (800) 877-8339.

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 
[email protected] or telephone 202-402-3400. 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 
(800) 877-8339.
    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

[[Page 80791]]

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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            Number of        Average time to complete                      Total burden
                   Form                          Respondent sample         respondents    (minimum, maximum) in minutes      Frequency        (hours)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site Visit Interview Guide #1............  12 staff and stakeholders                108  90 (75-105)                                   1             162
                                            from all 9 Jobs Plus sites.
Focus Group Discussion Guide #1..........  15 residents at each of the              135  60 (50-70)                                    1           202.5
                                            9 Jobs Plus sites.
Site Visit Interview Guide #1............  12 staff and stakeholders                108  90 (75-105)                                   1             162
                                            from all 9 Jobs Plus sites.
Focus Group Discussion Guide #2..........  15 residents at each of the              135  60 (50-70)                                    1           202.5
                                            9 Jobs Plus sites.
                                                                        --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    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.
[FR Doc. 2015-32602 Filed 12-24-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4210-67-P