June 22 -- The Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD invites comments by August 21, 2023 regarding Evaluation of the Community Choice Demonstration (formerly known as the Evaluation of the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration).
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has contracted with Abt Associates to conduct an evaluation 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. 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).
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) 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
CCD:
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/hcv/communitychoicedemo
Draft data collection instruments and technical documentation requested from PD&R by AEAStat.
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-13223