[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 64 (Monday, April 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19522-19524]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06997]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-6191-N-05]


Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers: Implementation of the Housing 
Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration for Awarded PHAs, Supplementary 
Notice for Demonstration Participants

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing 
(PIH), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On July 15, 2020, HUD published a notice (``Implementation 
Notice'') implementing the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) mobility 
demonstration (``demonstration'') authorized by the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2019. Through that Implementation Notice, HUD made 
available up to $50,000,000 to participating Public Housing Agencies 
(``PHAs'') to implement housing mobility programs. On April 30, 2021, 
HUD announced its selection of PHAs that will participate in the 
demonstration. These PHAs will receive $45.7 million in total funding 
under that award. This notice supplements the July 15, 2020, notice to 
describe additional policies and flexibilities for PHAs selected to 
participate in the demonstration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ryan Jones, Director, Housing Voucher 
Management and Operations Division, Department of Housing and Urban

[[Page 19523]]

Development, 451 Seventh Street SW, Room 4214, Washington, DC 20410, 
telephone number (202) 402-2677. (This is not a toll-free number.) 
Individuals with hearing or speech impediments may access this number 
via TTY by calling the Federal Relay during working hours at 800-877-
8339. (This is a toll-free number). HUD encourages submission of 
questions about the demonstration be sent to: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On July 15, 2020, HUD published an Implementation Notice for the 
Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) mobility demonstration authorized by the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019. Through that Notice, HUD made 
available up to $50,000,000 to participating PHAs throughout the 
country to implement housing mobility programs by offering mobility-
related services to increase the number of voucher families with 
children living in opportunity areas. On April 30, 2021, HUD announced 
that nine lead PHAs will participate in the HCV mobility demonstration 
and were awarded new housing choice vouchers and mobility-related 
services funding, and that an additional four PHAs that applied in 
partnership with a lead PHA were awarded new housing choice vouchers. 
These PHAs will receive $45.7 million in total funding under that 
award. Through the demonstration, the awarded PHAs will provide 
approximately 10,000 families with children better access to low-
poverty neighborhoods with high-performing schools and other strong 
community resources.
    The Implementation Notice described broad parameters for selected 
PHAs, including the set of mobility-related services that they will 
likely be required to provide to families participating in the program, 
the likely research design, and an estimated cost of services per 
family offered participation in the program. The Implementation Notice 
also described a required evaluation that would be conducted at the 
selected PHAs and explained that some aspects of the program and 
research design would be determined jointly by HUD (including its 
research evaluator and technical assistance provider) in collaboration 
with the selected PHAs.
    During the collaborative process to finalize the program and 
research design, HUD has identified policies to supplement those 
identified in the Implementation Notice that will promote the goals of 
the demonstration. The additional flexibilities will benefit families 
participating in the programs and the selected PHAs as well as help 
ensure an effective research evaluation.
    HUD now supplements the July 15, 2020, Implementation Notice to 
describe policies and flexibilities for PHAs selected to participate in 
the HCV mobility demonstration.

Supplement to the Implementation Notice

I. Pilot Length

    The Implementation Notice described that a planning and pilot 
period would last approximately one year. After working closely with 
the selected PHAs, HUD has determined that additional flexibility in 
the length of the pilot may be necessary for PHAs to successfully pilot 
their programs prior to full program implementation. HUD therefore will 
determine the length of the pilot in collaboration with the PHA.
    Before the pilot can begin, HUD and its evaluator must complete 
certain tasks and obtain approvals. Once HUD has completed all its 
required tasks and gained all the required approvals, PHAs may begin 
their pilots. HUD calls the date that it has completed all the required 
tasks and received all the required approvals the ``earliest pilot 
start date.''
    Each PHA is expected to start its pilot no later than four months 
after the established earliest pilot start date. A PHA that is unable 
to start its pilot within four months after the earliest pilot start 
date will receive a corrective action plan and technical assistance to 
identify and support the necessary final preparations. If a PHA is 
unable to start its pilot within six months after the established 
earliest pilot start date, HUD may recapture any remaining funds that 
were awarded to PHA.
    The anticipated length of the pilot is six months. PHA sites that 
are experiencing challenges completing their pilot activities timely 
will receive a corrective action plan and technical assistance to 
identify and support the necessary final preparations. If the PHA is 
unable to complete their pilot activities within nine months from the 
start date of their pilot, HUD may recapture funds from the PHA.
    HUD will issue a Public and Indian Housing (PIH) Notice that 
describes the policies and procedures regarding funding recapture and 
reallocation.

II. Enrollment of Existing Voucher Holders and New Admissions

    As described in the Implementation Notice, each PHA must enroll 
families into the evaluation, which includes a randomized controlled 
trial (RCT). The Implementation Notice estimated that approximately 
1,800 existing voucher holders and 150 new admissions would be enrolled 
at each selected PHA. After discussions with the evaluator, HUD has 
determined that allowing a PHA limited flexibility in reducing the 
number of existing voucher holders enrolled and increasing, by the same 
amount, the number new admissions enrolled, will help ensure the 
evaluation is able to detect the effects of mobility-related services 
for new admission families. HUD anticipates that the maximum use of 
flexibility between existing voucher holders and new admissions would 
enable a PHA to enroll a maximum of 500 new admission families.
    PHAs must submit a written request to HUD to change the number of 
existing voucher holders and new admissions. Any changes in the numbers 
of existing voucher holders and new admissions to be enrolled will be 
documented in each PHA's ``recruitment and enrollment plan.''
    This additional flexibility will strengthen PHAs' ability to enroll 
families into the study and improve HUD's ability to evaluate the 
effects of the program. PHAs must use their own turnover vouchers--that 
is, vouchers that become available when a voucher holder exits the HCV 
program--for any increased new admissions. PHAs may use turnover 
mobility demonstration vouchers (MDVs) for new admissions enrolled in 
the demonstration. PHAs must receive prior HUD approval before using 
any other new incremental vouchers for this purpose. PHAs may not use 
vouchers from another non-partner PHA for new admissions.

III. Flexibility Between CMRS, SMRS, and Control Group

    Families with children receiving voucher assistance that agree to 
participate in the demonstration will be randomly assigned to a 
treatment group that receives mobility-related services or a control 
group that receives HCV program services already offered by the PHA to 
all HCV applicants and participants. The demonstration has two 
different treatment groups. The first treatment group will receive 
comprehensive mobility-related services (CMRS). The second treatment 
group will receive a subset of the CMRS, which HUD calls selected 
mobility-related services (SMRS).
    To ensure an effective study, HUD also will allow some flexibility 
between the number of families enrolled in the CMRS, SMRS, and control 
groups compared to the Implementation Notice. These changes will be 
based on statistical analysis that helps ensure the

[[Page 19524]]

validity of the evaluation. Any changes in the number of families to be 
enrolled in the CMRS, SMRS, and control groups will be approved by HUD 
and documented in each PHA's ``recruitment and enrollment plan.''

IV. Memorandum of Understanding and Performance Standards Requirements

    The Implementation Notice stated that after the program and 
research design is finalized, HUD would draft a memorandum of 
understanding (MOU) and performance standards agreement that outlines 
roles and responsibilities, the program and research design, 
description of administrative policies, and recapture and reallocation 
terms, among other things. After completing the planning phase 
collaboratively with PHAs, HUD has determined that a statement of 
responsibilities is the more appropriate document to capture these 
provisions. Therefore, HUD will draft and issue a statement of 
responsibilities to the PHA sites that includes the provisions of the 
MOU and performance standards agreements originally stated in the 
Implementation Notice. PHAs will have 60 days from the issuance of the 
statement of responsibilities to opt to withdraw from the 
demonstration. After 60 days from the issuance of the statement of 
responsibilities, PHAs will not be able to exit the demonstration 
without HUD's prior authorization.

V. Eligible Uses of Funds

    Through the collaborative process to finalize the program and 
research design, PHAs and HUD have identified uses of mobility-related 
services funding that will help implement the program effectively. 
These uses of mobility-related services funds were not directly 
addressed by the Implementation Notice. HUD has, for the purposes of 
transparency and clarity, included a discussion of these uses of funds 
in this notice.
    As part of the evaluation, families enrolling in the study will 
complete an enrollment process that includes a voluntary baseline 
survey. The enrollment process and baseline survey will take 
approximately 135 minutes to complete. In recognition of the time it 
takes for families to complete the study, HUD will require PHAs to 
provide a $25 payment to each family upon completion of the survey, 
contingent on approval by the Office of Management and Budget. HUD 
encourages PHAs to provide this payment in the form of a gift card. 
This payment is an eligible use of mobility-related services funding.
    PHAs participating in the demonstration must recruit and enroll 
families into the study over a five-year period. Each PHA site (i.e., 
an individual PHA or the lead PHA and its partner) may use up to 
$40,000 each year for staff time and expenses related to recruitment 
and enrollment.
    PHAs participating in the demonstration will have ongoing oversight 
responsibilities for implementation. Given the nature of the evaluation 
and importance of ensuring mobility-related services are provided with 
full fidelity to the agreed upon program and research design, each PHA 
site may use up to $40,000 each year to supplement salaries of PHA 
staff, or hire new staff, who are responsible for providing oversight 
of the program.\1\
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    \1\ These annual amounts for staff time and expenses related to 
recruitment and enrollment and for program oversight are in addition 
to the one-time, up to five percent of the PHA allocation of 
mobility related services funding that PHAs were permitted to use 
for start-up costs as described in the Implementation Notice.
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    PHAs may also use their existing mobility-related services funding 
award to pay for these activities. PHAs must update their annual 
expenditure plans to reflect the amount of funds they intend to use for 
these purposes and begin immediately reporting these expenditures on 
their invoices.
    After the funding awards made on April 30, 2021, HUD has $4,127,590 
in remaining mobility-related services funding. HUD will issue an 
additional Federal Register notice describing the allocation process 
for those remaining funds.

Dominque Blom,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing.
[FR Doc. 2022-06997 Filed 4-1-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P