[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 119 (Thursday, June 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40841-40844]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13223]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7075-N-08]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Evaluation of 
the Community Choice Demonstration, OMB Control No.: 2528-0337

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: August 21, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection can be submitted within 60 days of publication of this 
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 60-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Interested 
persons are also invited to submit comments regarding this proposal by 
name and/or OMB Control Number and can be sent to: Anna Guido, Reports 
Management Officer, REE, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
451 7th Street SW, Room 8210, Washington, DC 20410-5000 or email at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street 
SW, Washington, DC 20410; email Anna Guido at [email protected], 
telephone 202-402-5535 (this is not a toll-free number). HUD welcomes 
and is prepared to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard 
of hearing, as well as individuals with speech or communication 
disabilities. To learn more about how to make an accessible telephone 
call please visit: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs.
    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 Community Choice 
Demonstration (formerly known as the Evaluation of the Housing Choice 
Voucher Mobility Demonstration).
    OMB Approval Number: 2528-0337.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Form Number: N/A.
    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 to conduct an evaluation

[[Page 40842]]

of its Community Choice Demonstration (formerly Housing Choice Voucher 
Mobility Demonstration). This proposed information collection involves 
three instruments that will be administered to subsets of households 
participating in the Demonstration: a Home Assessment, a Child 
Assessment, and an Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment.\1\ The Home 
Assessment will assess how moving to an opportunity area affects 
exposure to pest allergens and indoor pollutants that may impact health 
conditions among low-income children. The Child Assessment will assess 
how moving to an opportunity area may affect children's conduct 
problems and physical and mental health. The Obesity and Diabetes Risk 
Assessment will assess how moving to an opportunity area affects the 
risk of obesity and diabetes (primarily for the head of household and 
secondarily for one child in each household).
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    \1\ As discussed below, the Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment 
is also known as the Mobility Opportunity Vouchers for Eliminating 
Disparities (MOVED) study.
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    The Home and Child Assessments are funded by HUD and being 
conducted by Abt Associates. HUD's contract with Abt Associates 
provides flexibility to explore collaborations with other researchers 
and funders to support additional knowledge-building efforts that build 
on the foundation laid by the Demonstration so long as they advance 
important research objectives, do not interfere with the core 
Demonstration, and are structured in a way that minimizes overall 
respondent burden. The Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment represents 
one such collaboration; it is funded by the National Institute of 
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) \2\ and led by Johns 
Hopkins University (JHU) as part of a study called the Mobility 
Opportunity Vouchers for Eliminating Disparities (MOVED) study. The 
data collection for the MOVED study will also be conducted by Abt. 
While NIH-funded studies do not normally require the submission of an 
information collection request for compliance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act, we are including the Obesity and Diabetes Risk 
Assessment as part of this information collection request because it 
will be administered to a subset of households participating in the 
HUD-funded Demonstration. In addition, the Child Assessment will be 
administered during the same visit, to the same households, and by the 
same interviewers as the Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment.
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    \2\ The NIDDK grant number is R01DK136610.
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Background on Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration

    The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Pub. L. 116-6) and the 
Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116-94) 
authorized the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 
to implement and evaluate the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Mobility 
Demonstration (now referred to as the Community Choice Demonstration or 
CCD or ``Demonstration''). The primary purpose of the Demonstration is 
to provide voucher assistance and mobility-related services to families 
with children to encourage families to move to lower-poverty areas and 
expand their access to opportunity areas. The Demonstration will be 
evaluated using a mix of methods, including a random assignment impact 
study, a process study, and a cost analysis. The Demonstration has two 
phases: In Phase 1, currently underway, enrolled families are being 
assigned to two groups: one that is offered Comprehensive Mobility 
Related Services (CMRS), and a control group that is offered usual PHA 
services. In Phase 2, scheduled to begin in the fall of 2024, a second 
treatment group will be added that runs concurrently with the CMRS and 
control groups, in which families will be offered selected mobility-
related services (SMRS). (In Phase 2, families will be randomly 
assigned to one of three groups: CMRS, SMRS, or the control group.) 
Phase 1 of the study is evaluating whether the offer of CMRS helps 
families with children access and remain in opportunity areas and 
exploring which services appear to be most effective and cost-
effective. Phase 2 will evaluate the effectiveness of SMRS and compare 
the outcomes of CMRS and SMRS.
    On May 31, 2022 and June 9, 2022, OMB approved the administration 
of a series of data collection instruments as part of the 
Demonstration; OMB approved non-substantive changes to this information 
collection in October 2022. The OMB Control # is 2528-0337 and expires 
June 30, 2025. OMB approved non-substantive changes to this information 
collection in October 2022.

Revised Information Collection Request

    Through this revised information collection request, we are seeking 
approval for three new assessments: a Home Assessment, a Child 
Assessment, and an Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment. The collection 
of information through these three assessments, and through the 
underlying Demonstration, will be closely coordinated to minimize 
burden on families and ensure there is no duplication in data 
collection across each of the assessments and between the assessments 
and the Demonstration.
    We seek approval for two rounds of data collection (baseline and 
follow-up assessments) for each of these three assessments, which are 
described in more detail below.

Home Assessment

    The Home Assessment will be administered at two of the eight 
Demonstration sites and include the heads of household of an estimated 
570 households. Households selected to participate in the Home 
Assessment will be contacted shortly after random assignment in the 
Demonstration for a baseline Home Assessment that will include three 
components: direct measurements of pest allergens and indoor air 
quality, a brief survey, and observations noted by the interviewer. The 
same data collection will be repeated approximately 12 months later.
    The direct assessment will measure (1) temperature and relative 
humidity, (2) carbon dioxide, (3) carbon monoxide, (4) mouse and 
cockroach allergens, (5) particulate matter, and (6) volatile organic 
compounds (chemicals that enter the air from paints, cleaners, etc.). 
The brief survey will obtain information from the parent or guardian on 
risk factors for asthma and other respiratory conditions and child 
health conditions, such as exposure to cigarette smoke through smokers 
in the household or building. The interviewer observations will focus 
on risk factors for asthma and respiratory conditions and housing and 
neighborhood quality.

Child Assessment

    The Child Assessment will be conducted at three Demonstration sites 
that are different from those of the Home Assessment to minimize the 
reporting burden on participating families. The Child Assessment will 
be administered to one child and to the parent or guardian of that 
child in each of an estimated 837 households who have a child between 2 
and 15. The study team will conduct in-person visits over a 3.5-year 
data collection period, at two points in time: at baseline and a 2-year 
follow up. The Child Assessment will involve a survey about a 
prespecified focal child and a direct assessment of that child's 
executive functioning. Most of the questions on the survey will be 
asked of the parent or guardian, with some questions being asked 
directly of children.

[[Page 40843]]

Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment

    The Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment will be administered to 
the same households that are participating in the Child Assessment 
during the same visit. The Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment will 
also be administered to some households that do not have a child in the 
age range specified for the Child Assessment and to some families that 
decline to participate in the Child Assessment. As with the Child 
Assessment, the data collection will focus on one child in each 
household along with the parent or guardian of that child. The Obesity 
and Diabetes Risk Assessment, which is expected to be administered to a 
total of 900 households, includes:

 an adult survey
 anthropometric assessments (height, weight, and waist 
circumference) of the adult and one focal child
 blood spot samples to test HbA1c levels (a measure of diabetes 
risk) of the adult
 blood pressure readings
 observations noted by the interviewer, and
 accelerometer data on a sub-set of 400 adults and 400 
children.

At the 2-year follow-up visit, the study team will conduct a follow-up 
Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment that will include the same 
components with all households that can be located and agree to 
participate. In addition, semi-structured interviews will be conducted 
with a subset of 75 households. The interviews will dive deeper into 
the factors explored in the survey that are potentially associated with 
obesity and diabetes risk in order to better understand the mechanisms 
which impact health and well-being.
    Hourly Cost per Response: The estimated total annual burden of this 
information collection is 278,927.35 hours. The estimated total annual 
cost for this information collection is $1,577,961.78. The estimated 
total annual cost is calculated by multiplying the total number of 
respondent hours for adults by $11.05. The hourly rate of $11.05 was 
calculated using the average hourly minimum wage rate for households in 
the Housing Choice voucher program living in the 8 study sites.\3\ 
Annualized cost estimates were not calculated for the child sample. The 
child sample eligible to participate in the study will be under the age 
of 18. Most, if not all, will be enrolled in school and working part-
time at the most. Thus, we did not calculate an hourly wage for the 
child sample.
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    \3\ Hourly minimum wage rates were averaged across the eight 
study sites, which include Los Angeles, Louisiana, Minnesota, New 
York City, New York State, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
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    Respondents (i.e., affected public): Selected adults and children 
who have enrolled in the Demonstration and are either (1) offered 
comprehensive mobility-related services along with their voucher or (2) 
offered standard PHA services along with their voucher.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The baseline and follow-up 
assessments for the Home, Child, and the Obesity and Diabetes Risk 
Assessments will be completed for an estimated 2,370 respondents. This 
consists of 570 heads of household participating in the Home Assessment 
and 900 parents or guardians and 900 children participating in the 
Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment. We estimate that the Child 
Assessment will be administered to 837 households that also participate 
in the Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment, so they are already 
included in the estimated number of respondents above.
    Frequency of Response: Twice (baseline and follow-up).
    Average Hours per Response:
     The Home Assessment, including consent (10 minutes or .17 
hours), direct measurement (30 minutes or .5 hours), interviewer 
observations (10 minutes or .17 hours) and a brief survey (15 minutes 
or .25 hours) represents a total respondent burden of 1.08 hour.
     The Child Assessment includes the consent (8 minutes or 
.13 hours), survey about child (asked of parent/guardian) and parent/
guardian's presence during direct child assessment (a total of 45 
minutes or .75 hours), and the direct child assessment (22 minutes or 
.37 hours for the child). This represents a total respondent burden of 
75 minutes or 1.25 hours. Consent for the Child Assessment and the 
Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment will be obtained at the same time, 
through the same instrument; we have apportioned the total time 
estimate for the combined instrument across the two assessments.
     The Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment, including 
consent and enrollment (15 minutes or .25 hours); adult survey (60 
minutes or 1 hour); anthropometric assessments for adults (10 minutes 
or 0.17 hours) and children (10 minutes or 0.17 hours and 10 minutes or 
.17 hours for the parent or guardian who must also be present); and 
blood spot sample of the adult (10 minutes or 0.17 hours). The Home 
observations/housing assessment of the home will take 15 minutes (.25 
hours). For the subset of 400 adults and 400 children selected to wear 
an accelerometer, we estimate a total of 1 hour to put on and return 
the accelerometer. Returning the accelerometer will involve the 
participant placing the device in the self-addressed, postpaid return 
envelope that the interviewer provided and mailing it back to the study 
team. We have also included the full burden of participants wearing the 
accelerometer for 7 days for a total burden of 169 hours per 
participant in the accelerometer sub-group. We expect the blood 
pressure reading to take 15 minutes or .25 hours. For the sub-set of 75 
adults that are interviewed as part of the semi-structured interviews, 
consent is expected to take 10 minutes (or .17 hours) and the 
interviews are expected to take 60-90 minutes, or 1-1.5 hours. Finally, 
we have included quarterly tracking emails/texts or calls between the 
baseline survey and the follow-up survey that remind participants to 
confirm or update their name, address, phone, and email. The tracking 
also allows them to provide the name, address and phone number of 
someone who will always know how to reach them. We estimate the burden 
to be 8 minutes or .13 hours for tracking emails/texts and 10 minutes 
or .17 hours for tracking calls.
    Legal Authority: The survey is conducted under Title 12, United 
States Code, Section 1701z.
    Total Estimated Burdens:

                                                                 Annualized Burden Table
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                                                                                                         Burden      Annual      Hourly
                 Information collection                      Number of     Frequency  of   Responses    hour per     burden     cost per    Annual cost
                                                            respondents      response      per annum    response     hours      response
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Home Assessment:
    Home Assessment Consent.............................             570               2        1,140       0.17        193.8     $11.05       $2,141.49
    Direct Measurements.................................             570               2        1,140        0.5          570      11.05        6,298.50
    Interviewer Observations............................             570               2        1,140       0.17        193.8      11.05        2,141.49

[[Page 40844]]

 
    Survey..............................................             570               2        1,140       0.25          285      11.05        3,149.25
Child Assessment:
    Child Assessment Consent............................             837               2        1,674       0.13       217.62      11.05        2,404.70
    Survey about child (asked of parent/guardian) and                837               2        1,674       0.75      1,255.5      11.05       13,873.28
     parent/guardian's presence during direct Child
     Assessment.........................................
    Direct Child Assessment.............................             837               2        1,674       0.37       619.38        N/A             N/A
The Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment:
    Consent for Obesity and Diabetes Risk Assessment....             900               2        1,800       0.25          450      11.05         4,972.5
    Adult Survey........................................             900               2        1,800          1        1,800      11.05       19,890.00
    Anthropometric assessments (adult)..................             900               2        1,800       0.17          306      11.05        3,381.30
    Anthropometric assessments (child)..................             900               2        1,800       0.17          306        N/A             N/A
    Anthropometric assessments (child, but accounting                900               2        1,800       0.17          306      11.05        3,381.30
     for parent's time).................................
    Blood spot samples (adult)..........................             900               2        1,800       0.17          306      11.05        3,381.30
    Home Observations/Housing Assessment................             900               2        1,800       0.25          450      11.05         4,972.5
    Accelerometers (adult)..............................             400               2          800        169      135,200      11.05    1,493,960.00
    Accelerometers (child)..............................             400               2          800        169      135,200        N/A             N/A
    Blood pressure reading (adult)......................             900               2        1,800       0.25          450      11.05         4,972.5
    Consent for semi-structured interviews..............              75               1           75       0.17        12.75      11.05          140.89
    Semi-structured interviews..........................              75               1           75        1.5        112.5      11.05        1,243.13
    Tracking emails/texts...............................             900               2        1,800       0.13          234      11.05        2,585.70
    Tracking calls......................................             900               3        2,700       0.17          459      11.05        5,071.95
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        Totals..........................................           2,370  ..............       30,232  .........   278,927.35  .........    1,577,961.28
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    Respondent's Obligation: Participation is voluntary.

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 comments in response to 
these questions.

C. Authority

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

Todd M. Richardson,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Development and 
Research.
[FR Doc. 2023-13223 Filed 6-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P