81 FR 62167 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Evaluation of the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program, Phase 2

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 174 (September 8, 2016)

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 81, Number 174 (Thursday, September 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62167-62168]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21663]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5915-N-09]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Evaluation of 
the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program, Phase 2

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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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: November 7, 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: Anna P. Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street, SW., Room 4176, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone (202) 402-
5534 (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: 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 202-402-5535. 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.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: Evaluation of the Rental 
Assistance Demonstration, Phase 2.
    OMB Approval Number: Pending.
    Type of Request: New.
    Form Number: No forms.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
Rental Assistance Demonstration program (RAD) was established in 2012 
to stem the loss of public housing units and other subsidized housing 
arising from a backlog of capital needs. The program helps to convert 
at-risk public housing properties to two different forms of project-
based Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contracts--either 
project-based voucher (PBV) or project-based rental assistance (PBRA)--
giving public housing authorities (PHAs) more flexibility to access 
private and public funding sources, reducing their reliance on limited 
appropriations. The RAD authorizing statute requires HUD to

[[Page 62168]]

assess the impact of the program on: (1) The preservation and 
improvement of former public housing units, in particular their 
physical and financial condition, (2) the amount of external capital 
leveraged as a result of such conversions, and (3) the residents living 
in properties at the time of conversion.
    To comply with this statutory requirement and examine whether the 
program's objectives are being achieved, HUD will be collecting and 
analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from primary and secondary 
sources related to the following: (1) The physical and financial 
condition of 24 RAD properties selected for the study and 48 non-RAD 
properties selected for comparison; (2) the implementation of the 
program, including the capital needs and amount of external funding 
leveraged; and (3) the experience with, and effect on, residents.
    The first phase of the evaluation has been completed, and relied on 
information collected in accordance with OMB control number 2528-0304. 
Under Phase 1, HUD surveyed PHAs about their experiences with RAD and 
began enrolling public housing residents to track them for Phase 2 of 
the study. That information collection effort occurred early in the RAD 
implementation process; while it provided useful information about how 
PHAs were approaching RAD, further information collection is necessary 
to understand the results of RAD. The second phase of the evaluation is 
now under way to answer questions about effects of RAD three to four 
years after its launch. This notice announces HUD's intent to collect 
the following additional information: 1) a survey of residents of RAD 
properties and 2) follow-up interviews with PHA staff. This information 
will inform HUD, Congress, and other interested parties about how PHAs 
and residents are experiencing RAD now that projects have been 
converted, and whether or not it is achieving its intended objectives.
    Respondents (i.e. affected public): This information collection 
will affect approximately 400 households that have been enrolled in the 
RAD tenant study (enrollment was approved under OMB control number 
2528-0304) and approximately 100 PHA staff, including Executive 
Directors and other high-level staff at PHAs participating in RAD. The 
tenant survey is expected to take 1 hour and will be conducted once for 
each household. The PHA interviews are expected to take 1 hour and will 
be conducted one time.

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                                     Number of                             Responses per    Burden hour    Annual burden    Hourly cost
     Information collection         respondents   Frequency of  response       annum       per response        hours       per response     Annual cost
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Survey of RAD tenants...........             400  One time..............               1               1             400           $7.25          $2,900
Interviews with PHA staff.......             100  One time..............               1               1             100              40           4,000
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    Total.......................             500                          ..............  ..............             500  ..............           6,900
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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 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: August 31, 2016.
Katherine M. O'Regan,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy Development and Research.
[FR Doc. 2016-21663 Filed 9-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4210-67-P