[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81426-81427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25855]



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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7070-N-87]


30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Evaluation of 
the Moving To Work (MTW) Expansion Asset Building Cohort, OMB Control 
No.: 2528-NEW

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, Chief Data Officer, 
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 an additional 30 days of 
public comment.

DATES: Comments Due Date: December 22, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Interested 
persons are also invited to submit comments regarding this proposal and 
comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB Control Number 
and should be sent to: Anna Guido, Clearance Officer, REE, Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 8210, 
Washington, DC 20410-5000; email [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna P. Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, REE, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Room 8210, Washington, DC 20410; email: 
[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.
    The Federal Register notice that solicited public comment on the 
information collection for a period of 60 days was published on July 
21, 2023 at 88 FR 47158.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: Evaluation of the Moving to Work 
(MTW) Expansion Asset Building Cohort.
    OMB Approval Number: 2528-New.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
purpose of this proposed information collection is to evaluate the 
Moving to Work Expansion Asset Building Cohort (hereinafter ``Asset 
Building Cohort''). This 60-day Notice informs the public of intent to 
collect data about the asset building programs implemented by the PHAs 
in the Asset Building Cohort and about the HUD-assisted residents 
selected to participate in the asset building programs. HUD selected 18 
Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to participate in the Asset Building 
Cohort, and 17 of these PHAs joined the MTW demonstration. Each PHA 
will implement an opt-out savings program, a rent reporting for credit 
building program, or a custom asset building program. The savings 
account and rent reporting programs are described in PIH Notice 2022-
11. For the savings account program, PHAs will contribute at least $10 
per month for 24 months to at least 25 residents to support buildup of 
emergency savings. For the rent reporting program, PHAs will report on-
time rent payments made by participating public housing residents to 
credit agencies so that the residents' credit reports will gain a 
tradeline (rental tradeline). The added rental tradeline may increase 
residents' credit visibility and credit scores. HUD's Office of Policy 
Development and Research (PD&R) will evaluate the impacts of these 
asset building programs. The evaluation requires data from several 
sources, including the new information collection described in this 
Notice.
    The first phase of the evaluation of the Asset Building Cohort is 
guided by a few overarching questions: (1) What programs are PHAs 
implementing? What are the characteristics of the group of residents 
participating in the programs? (2) How do participants understand the 
programs? And what do the programs mean for them personally? The 
programs will run for two years. The first phase of the evaluation will 
collect data from the following samples:
    (1) PHA staff (n = 51), staff of partner organizations (n = 12), 
and PHA residents (n= 10)
    (2) Residents that volunteered for the rent reporting for credit 
building pilot program, including households that were randomly 
assigned to have their rent payments reported to credit agencies and 
households that were assigned to a control group (who don't have their 
rent payments reported to credit agencies) (n = 300)
    (3) Residents that volunteered for the rent reporting for credit 
building pilot program and agree to participate in in-depth qualitative 
interviews at up to four time points during the two years that the PHA 
is required to offer the program (n = 40)
    The evaluator will conduct interviews of about 1 hour with staff 
from participating PHAs, organizational partners (e.g., a bank that 
partners with a PHA to set up savings accounts for unbanked residents), 
and PHA residents to better understand facilitators and challenges to 
starting and running the asset building programs. The evaluator will 
interview up to 3 staff per PHA at all 17 PHAs, up to 3 partners at 4 
PHAs selected for in-depth case studies, and up to 5 residents at 2 of 
the case study PHAs.
    Residents participating in the rent reporting programs must 
complete an Informed Consent Form (ICF) and Baseline Information Form 
(BIF). The BIF will provide important information not otherwise 
available from HUD's administrative data, such as whether the household 
has significant barriers to employment. The BIF will take on average 15 
minutes to complete. After enrollment in the program, 40 participants, 
including 20 members of the treatment group and 20 members of the 
control group, will be asked to participate in qualitative interviews 
of about 90 minutes each at two different time points during the first 
year of the rent reporting programs. The qualitative interviews will 
focus on experiences with the rent reporting program, household 
budgeting, and the broader context of interactions with banking, 
credit, and financial institutions. The Federal Register Notice 
provides an opportunity to comment on the data collection instruments 
and associated materials to be administered to the respondents at PHAs 
(including staff and residents) in the Asset Building Cohort and at 
partner organizations.
    Respondents: Adults who work at, provide services at, or are 
assisted by

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PHAs participating in the Asset Building Cohort.

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                                             Number of     Frequency of    Responses per    Burden hour    Annual burden    Hourly cost
         Information collection             respondents      response          annum       per response        hours       per response     Annual cost
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Program Implementation PHA staff                      51               1             .33               1              17          $57.60         $979.20
 interview guide........................
Program Implementation partner staff                  12               1             .33               1               4           42.48          169.92
 interview guide........................
Program Implementation resident                       10               1             .33               1            3.33           10.31           34.37
 interview guide........................
Rent Reporting Informed Consent Form....             300               1             .33             .25              25           11.05          276.25
Rent Reporting Baseline Information Form             300               1             .33             .25              25           11.05          276.25
Rent Reporting Qualitative Interview                  40               1           .6667             1.5              40           11.05          442.00
 Guide 1................................
Rent Reporting Qualitative Interview                  40               1           .6667             1.5              40           11.05          442.00
 Guide 2................................
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 Total burden annualized over 3-year period.
 The average hourly rate for HUD-assisted households is calculated as follows: (1) For the Program Implementation resident interview guide we averaged
  the minimum wages of all states with a PHA implementing a Savings Account option, which includes California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
  Ohio, Oregon, and South Carolina, and calculate the average hourly minimum wage as $10.31. (2) For the interviews that apply only to PHAs in the rent
  reporting study, we averaged the minimum wages of all states with a PHA in the rent reporting study, which includes Connecticut, Florida, Idaho,
  Illinois, Maine, and New Hampshire, and and calculate the average hourly minimum wage as $11.05.
 The average hourly rate for PHA staff ($57.60) is based on the average employer costs for State and Local Government employees. (Source: Bureau of
  Labor Statistics, December 2022 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation) The average hourly rate for partner organization staff ($42.48) is based on
  the average employer costs for civilian employees.
 (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, December 2022 Employer Costs for Employee Compensation)

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.
    (5) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    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. 
chapter 35.

Anna P. Guido,
Department Reports Management Office, Office of Policy Development and 
Research, Chief Data Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-25855 Filed 11-21-23; 8:45 am]
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