Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) Survey

FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM WEB SURVEY IN TELEPHONE INSTRUMENT GUIDE FORMAT

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. DB Consulting is conducting a program evaluation of the Fair Housing Initiatives Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This study is intended to provide HUD with an in-depth understanding of how fair housing agencies function and what role FHIP funds play in supporting their operation. This information may be used by HUD as part of future budget justifications for the program, design of new performance measures, and program changes. Your response to the survey is critical to the success and validity of this research.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary. The questions have been approved by the United States Office of Management and Budget, number xxxxxx. It is estimated that it will take you between 45 and 90 minutes to complete the survey. If you do not have time to complete the survey in one sitting, you can return to it at a later time.

Note that this is a survey of all FHIP agencies receiving grants between FY 2003 and FY 2005. Most of the questions are about your agency in 2006, whether or not you received a grant in FY 2005. This is intentional, as we are interested in how groups operate in years when they get funding as well as when they do not get funding. We think by asking about 2006, the information will be most fresh in your mind and we can analyze the data both by current grantees and former grantees.

To make responding to this survey easier for you, you may choose to use calendar year 2006 or your agency’s fiscal year 2006, whichever you have better data on budget and program operations. Our objective is to have the best data possible for the most recently completed 12 month period.

CONTACT INFORMATION

In case we need to follow up with you to clarify any response, please provide the following contact information:

A) Name of Primary Person Completing Survey:

B) Title:

C) Phone Number:

D) Email:

QUESTIONS

Organizational Mission

As part of this evaluation, HUD is trying to understand the variety of models fair housing organizations use nationwide and in what context of the agency’s mission does their fair housing work fall. The following questions asked about your organization’s mission and structure:

1) What is the overall mission of your organization?

2) How does fair housing fit within your overall mission?

Exclusive role

Primary role

Significant role among several

Secondary role

Minor role

Organization Structure

3) Which of the following describes your organization?

Non-profit

State government

Local government

4a) Does your organization have a Board of Directors?

Yes

No

4b) If yes, what is the size of your organization’s Board of Directors (including vacancies) ? _______

4c) How many of the Board of Director positions are currently vacant? _________

4d) Does your Board of Directors include representatives from:

(a) Other civil rights organizations Yes No

(b) Legal professionals Yes No

(c) Residents of the target service area Yes No

(d) Landlords or landlord organizations Yes No

(e) Real estate agents/organizations Yes No

(f) The lending industry (such as bankers) Yes No

(g) Government agencies Yes No

(h) Faith Based/Clergy Yes No

(i) Other non-profits Yes No

(j) Unions/Labor Organizations Yes No

(k) Individuals representing themselves Yes No

4e) How many board members have been on the board for:

(a) 10 years or longer?

(b) 5 to 10 years?

(c) 2 to 5 years?

(d) Less than 2 years?

5a) Is your agency an operating member of the National Fair Housing Alliance?

Yes (skip to 6)

No

5b) If No, is your agency a supporting member of the National Fair Housing Alliance?

Yes

No

6) Is it a member of any civil rights organizations?

Yes

Specify ________________________________________

No

7) Is it affiliated with other organizations?

Yes

Specify ________________________________________

No

Organization History

As part of this evaluation, HUD wants to know about organization history and where and whom it generally serves. This information will help understand more about FHIP organization stability and the overall geographic coverage by FHIP agencies nationwide.

8) In what year was your organization founded (legally incorporated)?

9) In what year did it first become active in fair housing activities?

10a) Has your agency’s involvement in fair housing activities been continuous since that time or has it been discontinuous (that is, stopped doing fair housing activities at some point and then restarted)?

Continuous (skip to 11)

Discontinuous

10b) If discontinuous, why did it stop providing fair housing services?

10c) If discontinuous, in what year did it become active in fair housing activities for the most recent period of continuous activity?

Service Area and Population

11a) Please describe your organization’s fair housing primary service area? (That is, the area where you primarily market your program and where most of the clients you serve live).

Targeted neighborhood(s)

A single city

A single county

A single metropolitan area

Multiple cities and/or counties outside of a metropolitan area

Statewide

Multiple states (specify) _______________________

Nationwide

Other (specify) _________________________

11b) What is the approximate population of your fair housing primary service area? (That is, the number of people in the area where you primarily market your program and where most of the clients you serve live). ___________________

12a) In 2006, did your organization primarily market to a specific population or populations?

Yes

No (skip to 13)

12b) If yes, what population(s) did your organization primarily market to in 2006 (you may select more than one)?

Persons with Disabilities

Families

Blacks or African Americans

Hispanics or Latinos

Asians

American Indians or Alaskan Natives

Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders

Immigrants

Low-Income

Women

Men

Other

Specify _____________________________________

12c) In 2006, did your group limit its fair housing services to only families below a specified income threshold (such as low-income)?

Yes

No

13) Please indicate whether or not your organization provided the following fair housing services in 2006 (you may select more than one)?

Education and Outreach Yes No

Investigations Involving Testing Yes No

Non-Testing Investigations (such as interviewing friendly witnesses) Yes No

Referrals to pro-bono or contingency attorneys Yes No

Research Involving Testing Yes No

Other Yes No

Specify _____________________________________

14) If your organization provided other services beyond fair housing in 2006, what were the three largest types of programs provided?

(a) Largest:

(b) Second Largest:

(c) Third Largest:

15a) How do you market your fair housing services? Check each activity you used in 2006.

Yellow pages

Radio advertisement

Newspaper advertisement

Bus advertisement

Internet advertisement

Brochures

Newsletters

Presentations to organizations/civic groups

Other

Specify _____________________________

Specify _____________________________

Specify _____________________________

15b) Does your organization have a web page?

Yes

No

16a) Do you ask clients how they became aware of your fair housing services?

Yes

No (skip to 17)

16b) Please indicate (by numbering 1,2,3), the three most common ways clients reported that they learned about your agency?
Yellow pages ________
Radio advertisement ________
Newspaper advertisement ________
Bus advertisement ________
Internet advertisement ________
Internet search (Google, Yahoo, etc) ________
Friend, neighbor, or relative ________
Brochures ________
Newsletters ________
Presentations to organizations/civic groups ________
Referral from another agency ________
Other ________
Specify_____________________ ________
Technology
17a) In 2006, approximately how many of your regular staff had a working computer available for their exclusive use?
“All” “Most” “Roughly Half” “A few” “None”
17b) In 2006, approximately how many of your regular staff had a working computer available for their exclusive use that also had access to the internet?
“All” “Most” “Roughly Half” “A few” “None”
17c) In 2006, did your organization have a working fax machine?
Yes No
17d) In 2006, did your organization use audio recorders in its fair housing testing? (select only one)
Yes, all of the time Yes, some of the time No Not legal in our state We do not do testing
17e) In 2006, did your organization use any of the following information services as part of its fair housing work?
(a) Westlaw Yes No
(b) LexisNexis Yes No
(c) Census Data Yes No
(d) Other Yes No
Specify _____________________________
Specify _____________________________
Specify _____________________________
Employees
At the core of any organization are its employees. HUD wants to know about the characteristics of fair housing employees, their education levels, fair housing training and experience, and length of tenure in employment.
18) How many employees does your overall organization have?
(a) Full time (35-hour workweek - include volunteers who fill regular staff positions, exclude temporary staff and professional services conducted by third-parties such as accounting, bookkeeping, and legal counsel)?
(b) Part time (less than 35-hour work week - include volunteers who fill regular staff positions, exclude temporary staff and professional services conducted by third-parties such as accounting, bookkeeping, and legal counsel)?
18c) How many employees work on fair housing activities as a regular part of their job?
(a) Full time?
(b) Part time?
19a) How many of your fair housing staff (both full-time and part-time) provided the following fair housing services in 2006. Please distinguish between primary (more than 50%) responsibility and occasional responsibility (less than 50%):
Responsibility	Primary	Occasional	Total
(a) Intake?
(b) Education and Outreach?
(c) Investigation?
(e) Testing?
(f) Statistical Analysis/Research?
(g) Legal Referrals?
(h) Policy Issues?
(i) Advocacy?
(j) Other? Specify_______________
19b) How many of your fair housing staff (both full-time and part-time) belong to each of these racial/ethnic groups?
(a) Non-Hispanic White?
(b) Non-Hispanic Black or African-American?
(c) Non-Hispanic Asian?
(d) Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?
(e) Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native?
(f) Non-Hispanic Two or More Races?
(g) Hispanic or Latino AND White?
(h) Hispanic or Latino AND Black or African-American?
(i) Hispanic or Latino AND Asian?
(j) Hispanic or Latino AND Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?
(k) Hispanic or Latino AND American Indian or Alaska Native?
(l) Hispanic or Latino AND Two or More Races?
19c) How many of your fair housing staff (both full-time and part-time) are women, and how many are men?
(a) Women?
(b) Men?
19d) How many of your fair housing staff (both full-time and part-time) have the following as their highest level of education completed?
(a) Less than high school graduate?
(b) High school graduate only?
(c) 2-year college degree?
(d) 4-year college degree?
(e) Masters degree?
(f) Law degree (J.D.)?
(g) Doctorate (Ph.D.)?
(h) Not Known?
19e) How many of your fair housing staff (both full-time and part-time) have worked for your agency..
(a) More than 10 years?
(b) 6 to 10 years?
(c) 3 to 5 years?
(d) 1 to 2 years?
(e) Less than 1 year?
19f) How many of your fair housing staff (both full-time and part-time) have worked on fair housing issues, whether or not with your agency ...
(a) More than 10 years?
(b) 6 to 10 years?
(c) 3 to 5 years?
(d) 1 to 2 years?
(e) Less than 1 year?

19gi) How many staff in 2006 had responsibility for coordinating tests? _____

19gii) If you had a test coordinator(s) in 2006, please describe the testing-related training the test coordinator(s) had received and when they received that training.

19hi) How many staff in 2006 had responsibility for doing complaint intake? _____

19hii) If you had intake staff in 2006, please describe the intake-related training that they have received and when they received that training.

20a) Over the past five years how many different Executive Directors have you had for your organization?

20b) If different than the Executive Director, over the past five years how many different Fair Housing Program Directors have you had for your organization?

21) How much did your organization spend in FY 2006 on fair housing related staff training and continuing education?

$

Budget

One of the core goals of this evaluation is to understand the financial stability of fair housing organizations from year-to-year. The following questions ask about total budget, sources of funding for fair housing activities, and general budget stability from year-to-year.

22) What was your organization’s TOTAL operating budget for its fiscal year 2006?

$

23) What was your organization’s FAIR HOUSING operating budget for its fiscal years:

(a) 2004? $

(b) 2005? $

(c) 2006? $

24) For the organization’s fiscal year 2006, please indicate the amount of dollars from each source that supported your FAIR HOUSING operations, please distinguish between enforcement activities and education and outreach activities (if unable to differentiate between activities, please provide the “Total” amount and indicate “DK” under “Enforcement” and “Education and Outreach”):
	Enforcement	Education & Outreach	Total
(a) FHIP PEI	$	$	$
(b) FHIP EOI	$	$	$
(c) FHIP FHOI	$	$	$
(d) CDBG from City, County, or State	$	$	$
(e) Other funding from City, County, or State	$	$	$
(f) HUD Housing Counseling Funds	$	$	$
(g) Proceeds from fair housing settlement(s)	$	$	$
(h) Realtors	$	$	$
(i) Bankers/Mortgage Companies	$	$	$
(j) Landlords or Associations	$	$	$
(k) Foundations	$	$	$
(l) Charitable Donations	$	$	$
(k) Specify
___________________________________	$	$	$
___________________________________	$	$	$
25a) Over the past five years, would you describe your funding FROM ALL SOURCES for fair housing activities to be:
Generally increasing over time
Relatively stable from year-to-year
Up and down modestly from year-to-year
Up and down significantly from year-to-year
Generally decreasing over time
25b) Please explain what most affects the stability of your fair housing funding from year-to-year:
26a) In the past five years (since 2001), has your organization received funds from settlements as a result of lawsuits or administrative complaints?
Yes
No
26b) If yes, what is the total amount your organization has received from settlements in the past 5 years as a result of as a result of lawsuits or administrative complaints? $
Enforcement Activities
Please answer the following questions if your organization conducted any enforcement activities in 2006, whether or not you received a PEI grant. Enforcement activities involve receiving, initiating, and/or investigating fair housing complaints.
27) Did your organization receive and/or investigate fair housing complaints in 2006?
Yes
No (skip to 60)
Inquiries
28) How do you track and log fair housing inquiries (An inquiry is the initial request for assistance on an allegation of what appears to be unlawful housing discrimination)? (check all that apply)
(a) Each inquiry is recorded in a database
(b) Each inquiry is recorded in a paper file
(c) Inquiry is noted in some other format
(d) Inquiries are not tracked
29) Are any of the following items collected at time of initial contact?
(a) Name Yes No
(b) Address Yes No
(c) Phone Yes No
(d) Nature of Inquiry Yes No
(e) Intake specialist response Yes No
30a) From how many individuals or organizations (excluding your agency) did the agency receive a fair housing inquiry in 2006?
30b) How many FAIR HOUSING investigations were “agency initiated” (for example, initiation of a systemic investigation based on renting patterns in a community)?

31) How many of the FAIR HOUSING inquiries and other investigations in 2006:
(a) Led to fair housing complaints filed with HUD or FHAP? or none
(b) Led to fair housing suits filed in court? or none
(c) Were resolved by your organization outside of HUD/FHAP or court? or none
(d) Were investigated but no discrimination was confirmed? or none
(e) Still under investigation? or none
(f) Led to evidence being referred to the Department of Justice? or none
(g) Were referred to a state licensing agency? or none
(h) Were referred to the State Attorney General? or none
(i) Were referred to a state non-FHAP agency? or none
(f) Resulted in some other outcome?
Other Outcome 1: ______________________________
Other Outcome 2: ______________________________
Other Outcome 3: ______________________________
32) What are the total number of FAIR HOUSING inquiries where the agency conducted some sort of an investigation in 2006 (an investigation is any proactive work by the fair housing agency to obtain evidence to validate the potential complaint)?
33a) How many of the FAIR HOUSING inquiries from individuals were investigated using FHIP PEI funds? or none
33b) How many of the “agency initiated” FAIR HOUSING investigation were conducted using FHIP PEI funds? or none
34) In 2006, of investigations undertaken, how many were:
		What proportion of inquiries investigated were investigated with PEI funds?
	Number	All	Some	None
(a) Rental
(b) Sales
(c) Lending
(d) Insurance
(e) Other

35) In 2006, did your FHIP investigate any inquiries involving the following protected classes? If yes, were any investigated using PEI funds?

(a) Race yes no ; With PEI? yes no

(b) Color yes no ; With PEI? yes no

(c) National Origin yes no ; With PEI? yes no

(e) Familial Status yes no ; With PEI? yes no

(f) Sex yes no ; With PEI? yes no

(g) Religion yes no ; With PEI? yes no

(l) Design and Construction yes no ; With PEI? yes no

(m) Disability (excluding design and construction) yes no ; With PEI? yes no

(h) Other _________________ yes no ; With PEI? yes no

36) Did you do any investigations in 2006 that used consultants or specialists?

Yes

No (skip to 38)

37) For investigations that used consultants or specialists, what types of service did they provide?

(a) Engineering/Architecture Yes No

(b) Statistical Analysis Yes No

(c) Other Yes No

Fair Housing Testing

38) Does your organization conduct fair housing tests?

Yes

No (skip to 60)

For organizations conducting fair housing tests:

39) Is there a staff person charged with coordinating tests?

Yes

No (skip to 41)

40) If yes, approximately how much of that person’s time in a year is dedicated to coordinating tests?

“All”

“Three-quarters”

“Roughly Half”

“One-quarter or less”

41) Do you have documented tester training manual?

Yes

No (skip to 43)

42) If yes, please describe how you developed the tester training manual (you may indicate more than one)?

Primarily locally developed

Primarily NFHA developed manual

Primary Housing Discrimination Study (HDS) manual

Other ___________________________________

43) Indicate if any testers were recruited in 2006 from the following methods:

Referrals from current testers Yes No

Informal referrals from staff acquaintances Yes No

Social service agencies Yes No

Graduate school Yes No

Actors guilds or similar Yes No

Advertising in a public paper or posting flyers Yes No

No testers recruited in 2006

44) Of the testers conducting tests in 2006, about what proportion were NEW testers in 2006?

“All”

“Three-quarters”

“Roughly Half”

“One-quarter or less”

45) Of the testers conducting tests in 2006, about what proportion had attended a tester training session in 2006?

“All”

“Three-quarters”

“Roughly Half”

“One-quarter or less”

46) How did you compensate the majority of your testers in 2006?

Volunteers (no compensation)

Paid an honorarium or stipend

Paid staff (hourly or salary)

47) Approximately what proportion of your testing in 2006 was based on a complaint of discrimination from an individual complainant (excluding your own “agency initiated” tests or tests initiative at the request of HUD or a FHAP agency)?

“All” “Most” “Roughly Half” “A few” “None”

48) Approximately what proportion of your testing in 2006 was “agency initiated” (for example, initiation of a systemic investigation based on renting patterns in a community)?

“All” “Most” “Roughly Half” “A few” “None”

49) Were any tests conducted in 2006 in response to a request from HUD or FHAP agency?

Yes

No

50) Did your agency conduct any tests in 2006 for the housing industry as part of a “self-testing” program?

Yes

No

51) Did your agency conduct any tests in 2006 as part of a research project (such as to measure the level of discrimination in your community)?

Yes

No

52) Did your agency conduct any tests in 2006 for compliance testing in response to a settlement or court order?

Yes

No

53) How many TOTAL fair housing tests were conducted by the agency in 2006?

54) How many TOTAL fair housing tests were conducted by the agency in 2006 that were funded with FHIP PEI funds?

55) Please indicate if in 2006 you conducted one or more of the following type of fair housing test:

(a) Rental yes no

(b) Sales yes no

(c) Lending yes no

(d) Insurance yes no

56) Please indicate if in 2006 you conducted one or more of the fair housing test for these protected classes:

(a) Black or African American yes no

(b) Hispanic or Latino yes no

(c) Asian yes no

(d) American Indian or Alaskan Native yes no

(e) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander yes no

(f) Other Race yes no

(g) Other Color yes no

(h) Religion yes no

(i) Sex yes no

(j) National Origin yes no

(k) Familial Status yes no

(l) Design and Construction yes no

(m) Physical Disability (excluding design and construction) yes no

(n) Sensory Disability (excluding design and construction) yes no

(o) Mental Disability (excluding design and construction) yes no

(p) Other yes no

57) Approximately what proportion of your testing is done through in-person visits?

“All” “Most” “Roughly Half” “A few” “None”

58) Approximately what proportion of your testing based on individual (non “agency-initiated”) complaints in 2006 resulted in some type of enforcement action?

“All” “Most” “Roughly Half” “A few” “None”

59) Approximately what proportion of your agency initiated testing in 2006 resulted in some type of enforcement action?

“All” “Most” “Roughly Half” “A few” “None”

Education and Outreach Activities

Please answer the following questions if your organization conducted any education and outreach activities in 2006, whether or not you received an EOI grant. Education and outreach activities are activities that include developing education materials, analyzing local impediments to housing choice, providing housing counseling and classes, convening meetings that bring together the housing industry with fair housing groups, developing technical materials on accessibility, and mounting public information campaigns.

60) Did your organization undertake any FAIR HOUSING education and outreach activities in 2006?

Yes

No (skip to 70)

61) Please indicate which of the listed fair housing education materials your organization uses in its education and outreach activities (please only indicate a brochure is used if 10 or more individuals received or used the material in 2006).

Fair Housing: Equal Opportunity for All (English/Spanish) - HUD

Fair Housing Act Design Manual - HUD

Fair Housing for HOME Participants - HUD

Fair Housing Planning Guide - HUD

Putting Your Home on the Loan Line is Risky Business (English/Spanish) - Federal Reserve

62) If you used other educational materials in 2006 created by an outside group, please provide the names and source of each (for example, a brochure developed by the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), your state’s civil rights office, or another fair housing group):

i. Name: __________________________________ Source: ______________________________

ii. Name: __________________________________ Source: ______________________________

iii. Name: __________________________________ Source: ______________________________

63) Has your organization developed its own education materials (only indicate “yes” if the materials are currently used in your education and outreach activities)?

Yes

No (skip to 65)

64) For educational material developed locally, please provide a title, purpose, target audience, language, and if its development was paid for with the FHIP EOI grant (if more than three developed, list three used most often in 2006).

i. Title of locally developed material ___________________________________________________________

Purpose (ie. How to spot a predatory loan) ___________________________________________________

Target Audience (ie. Hispanic homebuyers) ___________________________________________________

Language (ie. English) ____________________________________________________________________

Funded with current or past EOI grant: Yes No

ii. Title: ________________________________________________________________________________

Purpose: ______________________________________________________________________________

Target Audience _________________________________________________________________________

Language : ______________________________________________________________________________

Funded with current or past EOI grant: Yes No

iii. Title: ________________________________________________________________________________

Purpose: ______________________________________________________________________________

Target Audience _________________________________________________________________________

Language : ______________________________________________________________________________

Funded with current or past EOI grant: Yes No

65) Please describe any fair housing education material that you think HUD should be developing and producing.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

66) What types of Education and Outreach activities did your organization undertake in 2006? For each, indicate if it was undertaken at all followed by whether or not it was funded all or partially with FHIP EOI funds.

(a) Develop education materials? yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(b) Distribute education materials? yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(c) Analyze local impediments to housing choice? yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(d) Provide housing counseling and classes? yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(e) Convene meetings that bring together the housing industry with fair housing groups?

yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(f) Develop technical materials on accessibility? yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(g) Mount media campaign(s)? yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(h) Training to landlords/management agencies? yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(i) Training to real estate agents? yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(j) Training to lenders? yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(k) Training to local government officials? yes no ; With EOI? yes no

(l) Other (specify) yes no ; With EOI? yes no

67) How many total people received direct fair housing education or training from your organization in 2006?

68) How many separate organization’s did you provide fair housing training to their staff in 2006?

69) Do you undertake customer service survey of individuals after they receive training?
Yes
No
FHIP Program Overall
This final section of the survey is seeking information on challenges with current FHIP program implementation and your opinions on possible program changes.
70) To what extent have there been implementation problems, notable hardships, or significant costs associated with the administration of your FHIP grant?
(a) Implementation Problems yes no
(b) Notable hardships yes no
(c) Significant costs yes no
(d) If yes to any, please specify _____________________________________________________________
71) What are the most significant challenges for organizations fair housing program?
	Very significant	Somewhat significant	Not at all significant
Consistent funding for enforcement operations
Consistent funding for education and outreach activities
Staff retention
Staff expertise/training
Other_____________

72) Please rate your agreement with the following statements about HUD’s role in supporting private fair housing organizations with appropriation levels held constant?
	Agree a lot	Agree a little	Disagree a little	Disagree a lot
HUD should set standards for FHIP agency investigations
Standards for testing should be developed so FHIP agencies could have “certified testing programs”
Make all PEI grants 3-year awards, but have fewer PEI and EOI grants each year
Discontinue PEI 3-year awards and fund more EOI grants
Discontinue PEI 3-year awards and fund more PEI grants
Reinstate the FHOI Program and have fewer overall PEI grants
73) In your own words, in what ways do the services your group provide add value to promoting and enforcing fair housing laws?
74) Please tell us what things you see as being problems with the FHIP program and what you think might be done to fix those problems.
75) Please use the following space to provide any further comments on either the challenges facing FHIP agencies, HUD’s role in supporting FHIP agencies, or concerns that were not captured in the survey.
Thank you very much for your participation in this survey. If you have any questions regarding the survey please contact the survey director, xxx of DB Consulting group, toll-free at 1-888-xxx-xxxx or email at [email protected].

DRAFT HUD LETTER TO RESPONDENTS

Dear Fair Housing Initiative Program Grantee:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has hired DB Consulting Group, Inc. to conduct an evaluation of the Fair Housing Initiative Program (FHIP). As part of this evaluation, DB Consulting is surveying all organizations that received a FHIP grant between FY 2003 and FY 2005, including your agency. The purpose of the survey is to better understand the diversity of FHIP recipients and how their programs are conducted. Results from this survey are a very important component of a larger evaluation that is intended to measure the contributions FHIP agencies play in supporting implementation of national, state, and local fair housing laws.

Your participation and cooperation in this survey is important. The report that will be produced will provide a picture of the FHIP program nationally. No responses will be attributed to an individual agency. HUD Policy Development and Research staff will use the information you provide solely for the purpose of the study.

The survey should take between 45 and 90 minutes, depending on the size of your program. To take the survey, please go to www.xxx.xxx and login (NEED TO PROVIDE THE LOGIN INFORMATION). If you have any difficulties with the survey or would prefer to answer the questions over the phone, please contact Tracy McCracken at DB Consulting at 1-800-xxx-xxxx. If you have any questions about the overall study, please contact Judson James from the Office of Policy Development and Research’s Program Evaluation Division, 202-402-5707.

Thank your for your participation and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Bryan Greene Kevin Neary

Deputy Assistant Secretary Deputy Assistant Secretary

Fair Housing Enforcement Research, Evaluation, and Monitoring

Federal Register Notice

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