[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 198 (Tuesday, October 14, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61648-61649]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24433]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5752-N-85]


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

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: November 13, 2014.

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: Colette Pollard, Reports Management 
Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW., Washington, DC 20410; email at Colette [email protected] or 
telephone 202-402-3400. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may 
access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay 
Service at (800) 877-8339. This is not a toll-free number. Copies of 
available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from Ms. Pollard.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice informs the public that HUD has 
submitted to OMB a request for approval of 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 June 
28, 2014.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: Evaluation of the Rental 
Assistance Demonstration Program, Phase I.
    OMB Approval Number: 2528--New.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    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, easing their reliance on 
unpredictable appropriations. The RAD authorizing statute requires HUD 
to assess the impact of the program on: (1) The preservation and 
improvement of former public housing units, (2) the amount of private 
capital leveraged as a result of such conversions, and (3) the effect 
of conversion on residents.
    The evaluation is designed to examine the resources available to 
improve the physical conditions of a public housing property, what new 
opportunities RAD creates for PHAs to improve public housing physical 
conditions, and how it helps PHAs preserve those units over the long 
term. To examine whether the stated HUD and PHA objectives are 
achieved, HUD will be collecting quantitative and qualitative data from 
primary and secondary sources and analyzing data related to the 
following: (1) The physical and financial conditions 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 private funding leveraged; and (3) the 
experience with, and effect on, residents.
    At this time, funding is available to fund only the first two 
components of the evaluation, thus, this request for OMB clearance only 
covers the ``first phase'' of the evaluation--(1) an assessment of the 
baseline conditions of RAD properties chosen for study and the baseline 
conditions of the comparison non-RAD properties, and (2) an assessment 
of the initial RAD financing, and the implementation phase of the RAD 
program. The request also includes a tracking form for the resident 
study that will be completed as a second phase of the evaluation, 
should funding be made available.
    Respondents: PHAs and PHA tenants.

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                                                                   Average time
                                                                    to complete
             Form                  Respondent        Number of       (minimum,       Frequency     Total burden
                                     sample         respondents     maximum) in                       (hours)
                                                                      minutes
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Physical and Financial          PHAs (n = 72                  72      60 (50-70)               1              72
 Conditions Survey.              PHAs; 24 PHAs
                                 implementing
                                 RAD, 48 PHAs
                                 not
                                 implementing
                                 RAD.
Implementation Survey.........  PHAs,                        100      60 (50-70)               1             100
                                 stakeholder,
                                 implementation
                                 consultants,
                                 project
                                 managers (n =
                                 100).
Resident Intake Study           Tenants of RAD               400       10 (8-12)               1              67
 Correspondence and Intake       PHAs (n = 400).
 Form.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Burden Hours........  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             239
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[[Page 61649]]

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: October 7, 2014.
Colette Pollard,
Department Reports Management Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-24433 Filed 10-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P