[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 97 (Monday, May 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23287-23288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10362]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5997-N-18]


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

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information Officer, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: HUD 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: June 21, 2017.

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 202-402-5535. 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.
    The Federal Register notice that solicited public comment on the 
information collection for a period of 60 days was published on 
September 8, 2016 at 81 FR 62167.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: Evaluation of the Rental 
Assistance Demonstration, Phase 2.
    OMB Approval Number: Pending.
    Type of Request: 2528-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 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. The 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 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.

[[Page 23288]]



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                Hourly
        Information collection          Number of    Frequency  of response  Responses  per    Burden hour   Annual  burden    cost per     Annual cost
                                       respondents                                annum       per response        hours        response
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Survey of RAD tenants................          400  One time...............               1            0.50             400       $12.73       $2,546.00
Interviews with PHA staff............           24  One time...............               1            1.50              36       $54.24        1,952.64
                                      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total............................          424  .......................  ..............  ..............             500  ...........       $4,498.64
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 using 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: May 15, 2017.
Anna P. Guido,
Department Reports Management Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-10362 Filed 5-19-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4210-67-P