[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 170 (Tuesday, September 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71371-71372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19695]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Office of 
Community Services Affordable Housing and Supportive Services 
Demonstration Data Collection (Office of Management and Budget #: 0970-
0628)

AGENCY: Office of Community Services, Administration for Children and 
Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Community Services (OCS), Administration for 
Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services, is requesting an extension of approval for a recently 
approved information collection: OCS Affordable Housing and Supportive 
Services Demonstration (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) #: 0970-
0628, Expiration Date: September 30, 2024). This information collection 
was originally approved for 6 months as an emergency approval. In 
addition to extending the approval, OCS seeks to update the burden 
estimates to accommodate an anticipated increase in the number of grant 
recipients, as well as to collect additional responses to several of 
the instruments. OCS also seeks to make updates to approved forms.

DATES: Comments due October 3, 2024. OMB must make a decision about the 
collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of 
this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best 
assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of 
publication.

ADDRESSES: 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. You can 
also obtain copies of the proposed collection of information by 
emailing [email protected]. Identify all emailed requests by 
the title of the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OCS is seeking to continue collecting the 
information requested from grant recipients under OMB #: 0970-0628. In 
order to determine best practices in the implementation of supportive 
services in the affordable housing context and describe how supportive 
services help residents to improve well-being and economic mobility, 
OCS will engage in the following activities:
     Conducting interviews with program directors and 
caseworkers to understand program implementation.
     Conducting focus groups with residents to understand their 
needs and how the services funded by this grant impacted their lives.
     Administering a self-sufficiency matrix to residents 
receiving intensive services to understand the impact of the program on 
various domains of well-being.
     Conducting a questionnaire with residents, to see if they 
were able to access more services due to the funding.
     Collecting information from program officers about the 
number and types of services/events provided, aggregate demographics of 
residents served, partner organizations and referrals, and how the 
housing community was impacted by the grant funding.
     Collecting narrative reports from program officers about 
the progress of implementation of the program.
    This request is to extend the approved collection period to 3 
years, which will permit OCS to complete the collection with current 
grant recipients as well as future grant recipients. With an extended 
timeline, OCS will request additional responses for several approved 
instruments to observe activities over the course of the full project 
period for grant recipients. The self-sufficiency matrix and service 
receipt questionnaires will be administered every 6 months during the 
project period. The semi-annual quantitative report mandatory and 
optional forms will be required every 6 months, with a final cumulative 
report. The quarterly narrative PPR will be requested every quarter of 
the project period.
    OCS has developed substantially revised 2024 versions of the semi-
annual quantitative report forms for the mandatory and optional reports 
to broaden the measures of service delivery and outcomes to better 
accommodate the universe of potential services offered by future 
cohorts of grant recipients. The new mandatory form combines the direct 
services and referrals tabs of the original form into a single tab 
where grant recipients will report the number of individuals receiving 
services through AHSSD funding and through the organization's other 
funding sources, alongside the information reported about referrals. 
The new optional form broadens the list of outcome measures that grant 
recipients can choose to report for the individuals they serve. In 
consideration of the overall reporting burden for grant recipients, the 
2024 version of the forms continue draw upon the service and outcome 
categories that grant recipients already use to report their Community 
Services Block Grant-related activities (OMB# 0970-0492). Additionally, 
the 2024 version of the forms request cumulative counts across the 
grant period, negating the need for a separate final report.
    Current grant recipients will be able to choose between using the 
current 2023 version of the forms and the revised 2024 version of the 
forms through the completion of their current project. New grant 
recipients will be required to use the 2024 version of the forms.
    Respondents: There will be three types of respondents to the 
proposed instruments. First, the direct beneficiaries, the clients 
receiving supportive services, will participate in the service receipt 
questionnaire, self-sufficiency matrix, and focus groups, and they will 
also provide information about their characteristics, needs, and 
outcomes for the grant recipients' semi-annual quantitative reporting. 
Second, the program directors and social services staff will respond to 
interview instruments tailored to their roles. Grant recipients will 
also be asked to complete quarterly narrative PPRs and semi-annual 
quantitative reports to describe their service delivery activities, and 
outcomes.

Annual Burden Estimates

    Burden estimates show the total number of responses per respondent 
over the next 3 years. The current grant recipients (9 total) will be 
able to choose between using the 2023 version of the semi-annual 
quantitative report forms and the 2024 version of those forms through 
the completion of their current project. New grant recipients (9 new 
recipients estimated) will be required to use the 2024 version of the 
forms.

[[Page 71372]]



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                                                   Total  number
                                   Total  number   of  responses      Average      Total  burden  Annual  burden
           Instrument                   of              per        burden  hours       hours           hours
                                    respondents     respondent     per  response
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Interviews with program                       18               1             1.5              27               9
 directors......................
Interviews with caseworkers.....              36               1               1              36              12
Focus groups with residents.....             105               1             1.5           157.5            52.5
Self-sufficiency matrix.........             680               3             1.5           3,060           1,020
Service receipt questionnaire...             680               3             .25             510             170
2023 Version--Semi-Annual                      3               4               3              36              12
 Quantitative Report Mandatory
 Form...........................
2024 Version--Semi-Annual                     15               3               3             135              45
 Quantitative Report Mandatory
 Form...........................
2023 Version--Semi-Annual                      1               4               3              12               4
 Quantitative Report Optional
 Form...........................
2024 Version--Semi-Annual Report               5               3               3              45              15
 Optional Form..................
Quarterly Narrative PPR.........              18               6               2             216              72
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,411.5.
    Authority: Section 1110, Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1310.

Mary C. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-19695 Filed 8-30-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-24-P