81 FR 47402 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Family Self-Sufficiency Program Demonstration

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 140 (July 21, 2016)

HUD has submitted the proposed information collection requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 140 (Thursday, July 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47402-47403]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17294]



[[Page 47402]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5909-N-49]


30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Family Self-
Sufficiency Program Demonstration

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information Officer, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: HUD has submitted the proposed information collection 
requirement described below to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public 
comment.

DATES: Comments Due Date: August 22, 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: HUD Desk Officer, Office of 
Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 
20503; fax: 202-395-5806. Email: [email protected]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna P. Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW., Washington, DC 20410; email Anna P. Guido at 
[email protected] or telephone 202-402-5533. 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. Guido.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice informs the public that HUD is 
seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in 
Section A. The Federal Register notice that solicited public comment on 
the information collection for a period of 60 days was published on May 
6, 2016 at 81 FR 27466.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) 
Program Demonstration.
    OMB Control Number: 2528-0296.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Description of the Need for Information and Proposed Use: The 
Department is conducting this study under contract with MDRC and its 
subcontractors (Branch Associates and M. Davis and Company, Inc.). The 
project is an evaluation of the Family Self-Sufficiency Program 
operated at Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) across the United States. 
The study will use random-assignment methods to evaluate the 
effectiveness of the program. FSS has operated since 1992 and serves 
voucher holders and residents of public housing. The FSS model is 
essentially a five-year program, and includes case management plus an 
escrow account. FSS case managers create a plan with families to 
achieve goals and connect with services that will enhance their 
employment opportunities. Families accrue money in their escrow 
accounts as they increase their earnings. To date, HUD has funded two 
other studies of the FSS program, but neither can indicate how well 
families would have done in the absence of the program. A random 
assignment model is needed because participant self-selection into 
Family Self Sufficiency program limits the ability to know whether 
program features rather than the characteristics of the participating 
families caused tenant income gains. Random assignment will limit the 
extent to which selection bias is driving observed results. The 
demonstration will document the progress of a group of FSS participants 
from initial enrollment to program completion (or exit). The intent is 
to gain a deeper understanding of the program and illustrate strategies 
that assist participants to obtain greater economic independence. While 
the main objective of FSS is stable, suitable employment, there are 
many interim outcomes of interest, including: Getting a first job; 
getting a higher paying job; self-employment/small business ownership; 
no longer needing benefits provided under one or more welfare programs; 
obtaining additional education, whether in the form of a high school 
diploma, higher education degree, or vocational training; buying a 
home; buying a car; setting up savings accounts; or accomplishing 
similar goals that lead to economic independence.
    Data collection will include the families that are part of the 
treatment and control groups. Data will be gathered through surveys.
    Members of the Affected Public:

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Families receiving subsidized housing and enrolled in              1,281
 the FSS program (treatment group)......................
Families receiving subsidized housing and not enrolled             1,270
 in the FSS program (control group).....................
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    Estimation of the total number of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection including number of respondents, frequency of 
response, and hours of response:

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                                                           Number of
              Instrument                   Number of     responses per   Average burden/response   Total burden
                                          respondents     respondent           (in hours)              hours
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36-Month Survey.......................           2,551               1  45 minutes (.75)........           1,913
                                                                                                 ---------------
    Total.............................  ..............  ..............  ........................           1,913
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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

[[Page 47403]]

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: July 13, 2016.
Anna P. Guido,
Department Paperwork Reduction Act Officer, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-17294 Filed 7-20-16; 8:45 am]
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