[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 40 (Wednesday, February 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8691-8693]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04041]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7007-N-02]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Evaluation of 
the Supportive Services Demonstration

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: April 30, 2018.

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 Supportive 
Services Demonstration.
    OMB Approval Number: 2528-Pending.
    Type of Request: New.
    Form Number: No agency forms will be used.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has contracted 
with Abt Associates Inc. to conduct and evaluate HUD's Supportive 
Services Demonstration (SSD), also referred to as Integrated Wellness 
in Supportive Housing (IWISH). The SSD is a three-year demonstration 
sponsored by HUD to test the impact of a new model of housing-based 
supportive services on the healthcare utilization and housing stability 
of low-income older adults. The goal of the SSD model is to help older 
adults in HUD-assisted housing to age in place successfully. The SSD 
model funds a full-time Resident Wellness Director (RWD) and part-time 
Wellness Nurse (WN) to work in HUD-assisted housing developments that 
either predominantly or exclusively serve households headed by people 
aged 62 or over. These services are not typically available in HUD-
assisted housing developments for this population and are anticipated 
to positively impact outcomes.
    Eligible HUD-assisted properties applied for the demonstration were 
randomly assigned to one of three groups: A ``treatment group'' that 
received grant funding to hire a RWD and WN and implement the SSD model 
(40 properties); an ``active control'' group that did not receive grant 
funding but received a stipend to participate in the evaluation (37 
properties); and a ``passive control'' group that received neither 
grant funding nor a stipend (47 properties). The random assignment 
permits an evaluation that quantifies the

[[Page 8692]]

impact of the SSD model by comparing outcomes at the 40 treatment group 
properties to outcomes at the 84 properties in the active and passive 
control groups.
    Under contract with HUD's Office of Policy Development and 
Research, Abt Associates Inc. will conduct a two-part evaluation--a 
process study to describe the implementation of the demonstration and 
an impact study to measure the impact of the SSD model on residents' 
use of healthcare services and housing stability. The evaluation 
features analysis of administrative data and the following types of 
primary data collection: (1) Questionnaires for one to two housing and 
wellness staff at each of the 40 treatment properties and the 37 active 
control properties (RWD, service coordinator, and/or property manager); 
(2) interviews with up to four housing and wellness staff (RWDs, WNs, 
and property managers) at the 40 treatment sites, with one to two staff 
(service coordinator and/or property manager) at the 37 active control 
properties, and with a sample of 10 to 15 owners across the 40 
treatment properties; (3) focus groups with residents of 20 of the 
treatment properties; and, (4) focus groups with community service 
provider partners at 20 of the treatment properties. The purpose of 
these activities is to collect data from multiple perspectives about 
implementation experience with the demonstration, the strengths and 
weakness of the model, and how resident wellness activities compare 
across treatment and control properties. The evaluation will also 
incorporate data collected by The Lewin Group as part of the 
implementation of the demonstration. Information on the SSD information 
collection was published in the Federal Register on January 9, 2017 
(FR-5915-N-14).
    Respondents (i.e., affected public): Resident Wellness Directors, 
Wellness Nurses, Service Coordinators, and housing property staff; 
property owners; HUD-assisted residents (aged 62 and over); and 
community health and supportive services staff.
    Total Estimated Burdens: The estimated average burden for the 
questionnaires is 1.25 hours per person per questionnaire. The 
questionnaire will take an average of 45 minutes to complete by 
telephone or online, with an additional 30 minutes for scheduling and 
preparation. There will be one to two respondents from each property 
and two questionnaires over the course of the evaluation. The total 
estimated number of respondents for the questionnaires is 117 and the 
total estimated burden is 292.5 hours.
    The estimated average burden for the interviews is 1.5 hours. The 
interviews will average one hour, with an additional 30 minutes for 
scheduling and preparation. There will be between one and four 
interview respondents per property for a total estimated number of 
respondents of 182 and a total estimated burden of 273 hours.
    The estimated average burden for the resident focus group is 1.5 
hours. The focus group discussion will average 60 minutes, with an 
additional 15 minutes at the start for participants to orient 
themselves to the group and 15 minutes at the end for participants to 
ask any questions they might have about the study and or how the 
information will be used. There will be up to 10 participants per 
resident focus group across 20 properties, for a total of 200 
respondents and 300 burden hours.
    The estimated average burden for the community partner focus group 
is 1.75 hours. The focus group discussion will average 75 minutes, with 
an additional 15 minutes at the start and end for the resident focus 
group. There will be up to 15 participants per community partner focus 
group across 20 properties, for a total of 300 respondents and 525 
burden hours.

                                                Estimated Hour and Cost Burden of Information Collection
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                                             Number of     Frequency of   Responses  per   Burden  hour   Annual  burden   Hourly  cost
         Information collection             respondents      response          annum       per  response       hour        per  response   Annual  cost
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Questionnaires..........................             117               2               1            1.25           292.5          $34.95      $10,221.63
Interviews..............................             182               1               1             1.5             273           36.84       10,056.72
Focus groups--residents.................             200               1               1             1.5             300            7.90        2,369.42
Focus groups--providers.................             300               1               1            1.75             525           40.96       21,503.32
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    Total...............................             799  ..............  ..............  ..............         1,390.5  ..............       44,151.09
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    The total estimated annual cost for this information collection is 
$44,151.09. To estimate the cost per hour for each type of respondent, 
we used the most recent (May 2016) Bureau of Labor Statistics, 
Occupational Employment Statistics median hourly wage for selected 
occupations classified by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 
codes and added 31.7 percent to account for benefits costs. (According 
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employer Costs for Employee 
Compensation data from September 2017, benefit costs averaged 31.7 
percent of employer costs for employee compensation across all job 
categories). To estimate hourly wage rates for Resident Wellness 
Directors and Service Coordinators, we used the occupation code 
Healthcare Social Workers (21-1022) with a median hourly wage of $25.85 
and an estimated cost with benefits of $34.04. For property owners and 
managers of properties, we used the occupation code Property, Real 
Estate, and Community Association Managers (11-940) with a median 
hourly wage of $27.42 and an estimated cost with benefits of $36.11. 
For WNs, we used Registered Nurses (29-1141) with a median hourly wage 
of $32.91 and an estimated cost with benefits of $43.34. We created 
weighted averages of these rates, depending on the respondent pool, to 
estimate the costs of the questionnaires and interviews. For the 
community partner focus groups, we used Social and Community Service 
Managers (11-9151) with a median hourly wage of $31.10 and an estimated 
cost with benefits of $40.96.
    Most of the properties in the SSD are funded through HUD's 
Supportive Housing for the Elderly (Section 202) program. According to 
HUD's Picture of Subsidized Households for 2016 (https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/assthsg.html), the average household 
income for Section 202 residents is $13,311. Some 98 percent of 
households have something other than wages or welfare benefits as their 
major source of income, in most cases Social

[[Page 8693]]

Security benefits. To estimate the hourly cost for the residents of 
properties in the SSD, we translated the average monthly Social 
Security benefit for retired workers, which in 2017 was $1,369 (https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/factsheets/basicfact-alt.pdf), into an hourly 
rate of $7.90 (by multiplying by 12 months and dividing by 2,080 
hours).

B. Solicitation of Public Comment

    This notice solicits 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 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: February 7, 2018.
Todd M. Richardson,
Acting General Deputy Assistant, Secretary for Policy Development and 
Research.
[FR Doc. 2018-04041 Filed 2-27-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4210-67-P