[Federal Register: January 29, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 19)]
[Notices]               
[Page 4668-4669]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29ja99-78]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4442-N-02]

 
Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described 
below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department 
is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES: Comments due: March 30, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name or OMB 
Control Number and should be sent to: Reports Liaison Officer, Office 
of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Room 8226, Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert Leonard, Office of Policy Development and Research, Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 8140, 
Washington, DC 20410; telephone (202) 708-3700, extension 4027 (this is 
not a toll-free number). Copies of the proposed forms and other 
available documents to be submitted to OMB may be obtained from Mr. 
Leonard.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department will submit the proposed 
information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended).
    This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information: 
(1) Evaluate 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) 
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (3) Enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Minimize the 
burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, 
through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission 
of responses.
    This notice also lists the following information:
    Title of Proposal: Interim Assessment of the HOPE VI Program: 
Survey Development, Data Collection and Case Studies.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
HOPE VI program, formerly known as the Urban Revitalization 
Demonstration Program, was created for the purpose of comprehensively 
addressing the need of severely distressed or obsolete public housing 
developments and the residents of those developments. Since 1993, 
Congress has appropriated nearly $3 billion for the HOPE VI program.
    In 1994, HUD initiated a ten-year evaluation of the HOPE VI program 
in order to identify its impact on public housing developments, public 
housing residents, and the neighborhoods surrounding targeted 
developments. Under contract to HUD, Abt Associates Inc. undertook the 
first phase of this study, the Historical and Baseline Assessment of 
the HOPE VI Program, between 1994 and 1996. The study was designed to 
collect data on conditions and characteristics prior to revitalization 
at 15 of the 25 HOPE VI sites that received awards over the first two 
program years. As part of the Baseline Assessment, a survey of 
residents who were living in the developments prior to revitalization 
was undertaken. The survey captured information about the 
characteristics of those residents, as well as their attitudes

[[Page 4669]]

toward their housing, experiences with crime, safety concerns, and use 
of supportive services.
    The data collection effort that is now proposed is for an interim 
evaluation that will build on the original study by comparing 
conditions before and after revitalization and examining the impacts of 
the program to date at the original 15 study sites. At each site, Abt 
Associates will conduct in-person surveys with 150 randomly selected 
residents who have recently moved to the revitalized HOPE VI 
developments, as well as 150 randomly selected individuals who reside 
in the surrounding neighborhood. The proposed survey will collect 
information on the attitudes of HOPE VI residents toward their new 
homes and the development. Both HOPE VI residents and residents from 
the surrounding neighborhood will be surveyed regarding neighborhood 
satisfaction (including perceptions of crime, adequacy of public 
services and other facilities, community involvement, and level of 
social cohesion), potential changes in the neighborhood since the HOPE 
VI redevelopment started, and the use of supportive services provided 
through the program.
    The large-scale investment in public housing through this program 
and its unique programmatic elements necessitate the continuation of 
the study of HOPE VI to determine the program's effects. The results 
will provide valuable lessons for policy makers, developers, 
researchers, and those directly involved in public housing management 
and administration concerning the impact of these comprehensive efforts 
on public housing residents, their neighborhoods, and the larger 
communities of their cities.
    Members of affected public: At each of 15 HOPE VI developments, the 
survey will involve a random sample of 150 households living in the 
development shortly after it is reoccupied and 150 households in the 
neighborhood that immediately surrounds the development. One 
individual, aged 18 years or older, will be interviewed in each 
household.
    Estimation of the total number of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection including number of respondents, frequency of 
response, and hours of response.
    The survey will involve 4,500 respondents, half of whom will be 
living in HOPE VI developments and half of whom will be residents in 
the neighborhoods surrounding the developments. Information will be 
collected by a one time personal interview that will take approximately 
15 minutes to complete. A total of 1,125 hours of respondents' time (15 
minutes times 4,500 respondents divided by 60 minutes) will be consumed 
by the survey process.
    Status of the proposed information collection: New.

    Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
44 U.S.C., Chapter 35, as amended.

    Dated: January 22, 1999.
Lawrence L. Thompson,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
[FR Doc. 99-2181 Filed 1-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-62-M