[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 187 (Tuesday, September 28, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59735-59738]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24346]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[FR-5386-N-09]
Privacy Act of 1974; Notification of a New Privacy Act System of
Records, Rapid Re-Housing for Homeless Families Data Files
AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information Officer.
ACTION: Notification of a new SORN.
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SUMMARY: Housing Urban Development (HUD) proposes to establish a new
Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), SORN. The proposed new system of
record is the Rapid Re-Housing for Homeless Families Data (RRHFD)
Files. The records system will be used by HUD's Office of Policy
Development and Research (PD&R) to evaluate the effectiveness of the
RRHFD Program, which is a demonstration program that was authorized by
Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (Pub. L. 110-
161). Refer to the ``Objective'' caption to obtain detailed
[[Page 59736]]
information about the purpose of this study.
Comments Due Date: October 28, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding
this notice to the Rules Docket Clerk, Office of General Counsel,
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW.,
Room 10276, Washington, DC 20410-0500. Communications should refer to
the above docket number and title. A copy of each communication
submitted will be available for public inspection and copying between 8
a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Robinson-Staton, Departmental
Privacy Act Officer, 451 Seventh Street, SW., Room 2256, Washington, DC
20410, Telephone Number (202) 402-8047. (This is not a toll-free
number.) A telecommunication device for hearing-and speech-impaired
individuals (TTY) is available at (800) 877-8339 (Federal Information
Relay Service).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5
U.S.C. 552a), as amended notice is given that HUD proposes to establish
a new SORN as identified as RRHFD.
Title 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) and (11) provide that the public be
afforded a 30-day period in which to comment on the new system of
records.
The new system report was submitted to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB), the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and the
House Committee on Government Reform pursuant to paragraph 4c of
Appendix 1 to OMB Circular No. A-130, ``Federal Responsibilities for
Maintaining Records About Individuals,'' July 25, 1994 (59 FR 37914).
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552a 88 Stat. 1896; 42 U.S.C. 3535(d).
Dated: September 22, 2010.
Jerry E. Williams,
Chief Information Officer.
System name:
Rapid Re-Housing for Homeless Families Data Files.
System location:
Rapid Re-Housing for Homeless Families Data Files are to be located
at Abt Associates Inc., 55 Wheeler Street, Cambridge, MA; Abt
Associates Inc., 4550 Montgomery Avenue, Bethesda, MD; and the AT&T
Datacenter, 15 Enterprise Ave., Secaucus, NJ 07094.
Categories of individuals covered by the system:
Families enrolled in RRHFD.
Categories of records in the system:
Name; Social Security Number; study identifier; birth date; contact
information (home address, telephone numbers, e-mail address);
demographic characteristics of the family head (e.g., race/ethnicity,
gender, marital status); number of children and other adults in the
household (a roster of adults and children with the family head at
baseline and spouse/partner and children not with the family head at
baseline, and characteristics of these family members); income sources
and total family income; employment and earnings for the family head;
current housing conditions, rent and rental assistance received;
housing history since program completion; barriers to housing; homeless
program participation; contact information for landlord, family and
friends; and study tracking information.
Authority for maintenance of the system:
Sec. 501, 502, Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 (Pub. L.
91-609), 12 U.S.C. 1701z-1, 1701z-2.
Purpose:
The FY 2008 budget for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (H.R. 2764) included a $25 million set-aside to implement a
Rapid Re-housing for Families Demonstration Program ``expressly for the
purposes of providing housing and services to homeless families.'' Also
included in the legislation was a requirement that there be an
evaluation of the demonstration program ``in order to evaluate the
effectiveness of the rapid re-housing approach in addressing the needs
of homeless families.'' The underlying presumption of the rapid re-
housing program posits that providers, through the use of an assessment
tool they have developed for the program, will be able to predict with
considerable confidence which homeless families, with a minimum amount
of housing and supportive services, will be able to achieve housing
stability and self-sufficiency at the conclusion of the program. In
order to measure the efficacy of the program, HUD will seek to enroll
approximately 1,200 participating families into the outcomes
evaluation. A follow-up survey will be administered to each
participating family 12 months after completion of the program. The
survey will collect data related to housing stability; self-
sufficiency; employment and earnings; family well-being; and health.
Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories
of users and the purposes of such uses:
Authorized Abt/SRBI staff will use the data files in the
Web-based study contact database to track study participants and locate
participants for 12-month follow-up interviews. Staff will use the data
files to match with other datasets for tracking purposes, such as
change of address and credit bureau databases.
A limited number of authorized Abt researchers will access
personally identifying information to link data from one phase of data
collection to another or to match primary study data with other
datasets for data collection purposes (e.g., matching records from
primary data collection with local Homeless management Information
Systems (HMIS) administrative data).
Authorized Abt researchers will also use the data for
statistical analysis and to develop findings for this research study.
Authorized Abt researchers may use the data to create a
public use file of non-identifiable data for disclosure to authorized
researchers for other purposes.
If the Department suspects or has confirmed that the
security or confidentiality of information in the system of records has
been compromised; or if the Department has determined that as a result
of the suspected or confirmed compromise there is a risk of harm to
economic or property interests, identity theft or fraud, or harm to the
security or integrity of this system or other systems or programs
(whether maintained by the HUD or another agency or entity) that rely
upon the compromised information; then the disclosure made to such
agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably necessary to assist in
connection with the HUD's efforts to respond to the suspected or
confirmed compromise and prevent, minimize, or remedy such harm.
Each data user's permissions will be defined based on the user's
role on the project. For example, the local site interviewer will be
able to review data for study participants only for his or her own
specific site. Study data will be aggregated or de-identified at the
highest level possible for each required, authorized use.
Abt Associates will not use or disclose the data for any purposes
other than for the ``The Evaluation of the Rapid Re-Housing for
Families Demonstration Program.'' Abt Associates will not disclose the
data to additional parties without the written authority of
[[Page 59737]]
the providing organization, except where required by law.
Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining,
and disposing of records in the system:
Safeguards:
The following safeguards shall be used to secure data in storage,
retrieval, during access, and disposal.
All personal data (identifiable and de-identified data
analyses files) will be encrypted and maintained on a secure
workstation or server that is protected by a firewall, complex
passwords, and multi-authentication factors, in a directory that can
only be accessed by the network administrators and the analysts
actively working on the data.
Data on the secure server will be encrypted using an
industry standard algorithm incorporating at least 128-bit encryption.
The decryption key will only be known to analysts actively working with
the data.
Separate data files will be maintained for each
questionnaire and for identifying information. Data files used for
analysis will be stored in a separate location from files with
identifying information to minimize the risk that an unauthorized user
could use the unique identification number to link de-identified files
with the identifiers. The unique identification number will be
protected through multi-mode authentication, in addition to encryption
technologies.
Access rights to the data are granted to limited
researchers on a need-to-know basis, and the level of access provided
to each researcher is based on the minimal level required by that
individual to fulfill his research role.
Abt Associates will backup the data on a regular basis to
safeguard against system failures or disasters. Only encrypted versions
of the data will be copied to the backup media. Unencrypted data will
never be stored on a laptop or on a movable media such as CDs,
diskettes, or USB flash drives.
If an authorized researcher leaves employment or is no
longer working on this project, their user ID and access will be
terminated within one day, as will VPN access. These steps will be
documented as part of termination process.
The site interviewers will securely store any hard copy
documents with personal protected information, such as signed consent
forms, tracking letters, or interview appointment schedules.
Consent Forms. The participation agreement/informed consent and
contact information form will be a paper form. After the family signs
the informed consent form, the RRHD program staff person will record
the participant's contact information in the secure, Web-based study
contact database. After the contact information is recorded, the hard
copy form will be placed within a sealed envelope and stored
temporarily in a locked cabinet in a secure physical location within
the RRHD program's administrative office. (If the contact information
cannot be immediately recorded in the database, the RRHD program staff
will store the signed form in the designated locked cabinet until the
staff person is able to record the data. Alternatively, the program can
submit the signed form to the Abt Director of Analysis, and Abt
research staff can enter the contact information into the study contact
database.)
Tracking documentation. The site interviewer will store any
tracking letters, appointment schedules, or other documentation with
personal protected information, such as name, in a locked cabinet that
can only be accessed by the interviewer. Tracking documentation with
personal protected information should not be generated until needed in
the tracking process to limit risk of unauthorized disclosures. Site
interviewers should use study IDs in lieu of personal protected
information on tracking documentation whenever feasible to limit risk
of unauthorized disclosures.
All hard copy forms with personal identifying data (the participant
agreement/informed consent form) will be stored securely in a locked
cabinet that can only be accessed by authorized individuals working on
the data. The locked cabinet will be stored in a locked office in a
limited access building.
Hard copy forms that are no longer needed for the study will be
shredded. If site interviewers do not have access to a paper shredder,
they will submit the paperwork to the Abt Director of Analysis via
FedEx with clear instructions to destroy the documents upon receipt.
Retrieving:
The contact database will include personal identifiers that can be
used to locate records to update families' whereabouts during the
tracking period. Records within the contact database can be retrieved
by name, social security number, study identification number,
birthdate, or spouse name.
After data collection is complete, researchers will use a dataset
that is stripped of identifying information for all analyses, with the
exception of a unique study identification number assigned to each
participating family. The study identification number will be randomly
generated at the time of random assignment and will be unrelated to
personal information such as SSN, DOB, or name. The study identifier
can be linked to the personal identifying information but only by a
small number of central research staff at Abt Associates.
Retention and disposal:
PII will be maintained only as long as required and only under
conditions specified in the study protocol. Upon completion of all
research for The Evaluation of the Rapid Re-Housing for Families
Demonstration Program, Abt Associates will permanently destroy all
electronic personally-identifiable information on the working server
using one of the methods described by the NIST SP 800-88 ``Guidelines
for Media Sanitization'' (September 2006). Encrypted versions of the
data may remain on backup media for a longer period of time, but will
be similarly permanently destroyed.
At the end of the contract, records that do not need to be retained
will be shredded and the remainder of the files will be shredded after
the three-year retention period required in the contract. The retention
and disposal procedures are in keeping with HUD's records management
policies as described in 44 USC 3101 and 44 USC 3303.
System manager(s) and address:
Carol Star, Director of the Program Evaluation Division, Office of
Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban
Development, 451 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20410, Telephone
Number (202) 402-6139.
Notification procedure:
For information, assistance, or inquiry about existence or records,
contact Donna Robinson-Stanton, Departmental Privacy Act Officer,
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street SW.,
Washington, DC, in accordance with the procedures in 24 CFR part 16.
Record access procedures:
The Department's rules for providing access to records to the
individual concerned appear in 24 CFR part 16. If additional
information or assistance is required, contact the Privacy Act Officer
at the appropriate location.
Contesting record procedures:
The Department's rules for contesting the contents of records and
appealing initial denials, by the individual concerned, appear in 24
CFR part 16. If additional information or assistance is
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needed, it may be obtained by contacting:
(i) In relation to contesting contents of records, the Departmental
Privacy Act, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh
Street SW., Room 2256, Washington, DC 20410;
(ii) In relation to appeals of initial denials, the HUD
Departmental Privacy Appeals Officers, Office of General Counsel,
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20410.
Record source categories:
Original data collected directly from participating families, third
party data for tracking purposes (e.g., National Change of Address
database, credit bureaus), and administrative data on Homeless
Management Information Systems.
Exemption from certain provisions of the Act:
None.
[FR Doc. 2010-24346 Filed 9-27-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P