[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59412-59414]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23401]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7041-N-05]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Eviction 
Protection Grant Program

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and 
Research, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (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: December 27, 2021.

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: Eviction Protection Grant Program.
    OMB Approval Number: 2528-0331.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Form Number: Application for Federal Assistance, Standard Form-424; 
Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, Standard Form-LLL; HUD Detailed 
Budget Worksheet, 424 CBW; HUD Applicant/Recipient Disclosure/Update 
Report, 2880; NOFO narrative; HUD Client Services and Outcomes Report, 
52698; and grant activity report.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: This 
information is collected in connection with HUD's Eviction Protection 
Grant Program and will be used by HUD to determine that the grant 
applicant meets the requirements of the Notice of Funding Opportunity 
(NOFO). Information collected is also used to assign points for 
awarding grant funds on a competitive and equitable basis. The 
information is collected via a narrative and the budget form. 
Information collected from grantees post-award will be used by HUD to 
meet its statutory program monitoring and demonstration obligations.
    HUD is required to develop a competitive grant program to fund 
nonprofit or governmental entities to provide legal assistance 
(including assistance related to pretrial activities, trial activities, 
post-trial activities and alternative dispute resolution) at no cost to 
eligible low-income tenants at risk of or subject to eviction. In 
connection with the COVID-19 emergency, the CARES Act was enacted on 
March 28, 2020. It placed a moratorium on eviction in all federally-
assisted housing and federally-backed mortgages through July 24, 2020. 
The expiration of that moratorium was followed by an Order from the 
Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) temporarily halting 
evictions for nonpayment of rent on September 4, 2020, which was 
subsequently extended until July 31,

[[Page 59413]]

2021, nationally and until October 3, 2021, in areas with substantial 
or high levels of community transmission of COVID-19.
    As households continue to struggle with income loss and 
accumulating back rent, the threat of evictions has grown considerably. 
The Household Pulse Survey Phase 3.1 found that the week of June 23, 
2021, over 7.4 million renters were behind on their rent payments and 
another 4.9 million were not confident they would be able to make next 
month's payment. With the expiration of the CDC's national moratorium 
looming, 3.6 million renters reported eviction was likely or somewhat 
likely in the next two months. Housing instability caused by formal and 
informal evictions has significant economic, physical, and mental 
consequences. Research has found eviction protection services, 
including services such as legal representation, court navigators, 
education and outreach, and assistance completing the legal forms to 
respond to an eviction notice, reduce evictions and increase housing 
stability for low-income renters. The Eviction Protection Grant Program 
will provide $20 million to support eviction protection services in 
areas with high rates of eviction or probable eviction to low-income 
tenants at risk of or subject to eviction. The Eviction Protection 
Grant Program NOFO, FR-6500-N-79, OMB Approval Number 2528-0331, was 
published on July 20, 2021.
    This notice updates HUD's previously approved emergency review 
request to include HUD's proposed form for collecting information about 
client services and outcomes. Grantees will be expected to submit this 
information to HUD with its post-award quarterly reports. This review 
is needed to fulfill Congress' intent for the Eviction Protection grant 
program to expeditiously provide funds to meet the need for which 
Congress appropriated them and reduce the harm these tenants will face 
without access to eviction protection services. It is also needed to 
enable HUD to meet its statutory program monitoring and demonstration 
obligations for this new program and fulfill its statutory, Executive 
Order, and regulatory obligations to ensure the equitable disbursement 
of critical eviction protection services.
    Respondents: Office of Policy Development and Research Grantee 
Recipients for the Eviction Protection Grant Program.
    Total Burden Estimate: The table below reflects our estimate of the 
burden on the grantee recipients.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: The data collection is conducted under Title 12, 
United States Code, Section. 1701z and Section 3507 of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, 44, U.S.C., 35, as amended.

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                                                                                                                               Hourly cost
                                                          Number of   Frequency of    Responses      Average       Annual     per response  Total annual
                Information collection                   respondents    response      per year    burden hours  burden hours  (hourly wage   respondent
                                                                                                  per response                    rate)         cost
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                                                                        Pre award
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NOFO application narrative............................           100             1           100            40         4,000        $52.36      $209,440
Application for Federal Assistance, Standard Form-424.             0             0             0             0             0          0.00          0.00
Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, Standard Form-LLL..             0             0             0             0             0          0.00          0.00
Detailed Budget Worksheet, 424 CBW....................           100             1           100          3.12           312         52.36     16,336.32
Disclosure/Update Report (Form HUD-2880)..............           100             1           100             2           200         52.36        10,472
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    Total Pre award...................................           100             1           100         45.12         4,512         52.36    236,248.32
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                                                                       Post award
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Grant work plan.......................................            20             1            20             2            40         52.36      2,094.40
Detailed Budget Worksheet, 424 CBW....................            20             1            20          3.12          62.4         52.36      3,267.26
Client Services and Outcomes Report, 52698............            20       * 1,000        20,000          0.25         5,000         52.36    261,800.00
Grant activity reporting..............................            20             4            80             2           160         52.36      8,377.60
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    Total Post award..................................            20             5           120          7.37       5,262.4         52.36    275,539.26
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        Totals........................................           120             6           220         52.49      9,774.40         52.36    511,787.58
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* Anticipated average number of annual responses per respondent (grantee), to be reported to HUD quarterly with grant activity report.

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.

C. Authority

    Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
chapter 35.


[[Page 59414]]


Todd M. Richardson,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
[FR Doc. 2021-23401 Filed 10-26-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P