2528-0248 Part B

PART B

B1) Potential Respondent Universe

This survey will be of applicants (or equivalent) for the Alternative Housing Pilot Program. In general, only victims of Hurricane Katrina or Rita are potential applicants. States are currently establishing their eligibility criteria for the program so the actual universe will be those households who the state determines to meet their eligibility criteria (such as currently living in a travel trailer). If the state has a formal application process, the universe will be further limited to those that apply for the program.

In states with a small number of likely applicants (Texas and Alabama), our plan is to have all of the applicants complete a baseline survey. In other states (Mississippi and Louisiana) with a very high number of likely applicants, we are planning to take a sample of applicants, as discussed below. With this approach we will limit the number of respondents to 10,000 or less.

B2) Sampling Method and Respondent Universe

If Texas and Alabama each have fewer than 500 applicants, we will ask all 500 to complete the baseline survey in each site. In Mississippi and Louisiana, where we anticipate several thousand more applicants (or equivalent) than there will be available units, we would undertake a plan to survey a subset of the total number of applicants.

Louisiana has not yet established their eligibility criteria, so the sampling approach is not yet developed. Mississippi, however, has said that their approach to offering their expected 3,500 AHPP units is to randomize their list of current occupants of FEMA trailers and mobile homes (approximately 19,000). As AHPP units become ready to ship, Mississippi will contact individuals on the list and determine if they meet the basic requirements (such as need for a unit 6 months or longer). If they do and desire to have an AHPP unit, they will be offered one. We are estimating 50 percent of households will be eligible and want an AHPP unit. We plan to survey the first 4,000 households on Mississippi’s randomized list to have at least 2,000 that receive a unit. To find a control group that has very little chance of being offered a unit, we would draw that control group from the 1,000 households on the list that have a randomized number of 9,000 or higher. We would plan to survey approximately 4,000 households in Louisiana using an approach that works well with the local program.

Two follow-up surveys, which will be submitted for clearance under the regular OMB process, will sample from among the households that completed a baseline survey. That sampling frame has yet to be determined and will be driven by expected minimum detectable effects and evaluation resources.

B3) Procedures to Deal with Non-Response

All surveys are subject to sources of errors, including: non-response, reporting, and processing errors. To reduce non-response, HUD intends to include this survey as part of the application package that AHPP applicants must complete if they want to participate in the program. Ideally, a state will be holding information sessions where individuals can complete their applications on-site. In those situations, the applications will be filled out in a “classroom” setting with a HUD staff person discussing each question and responding to any confusion. If the state uses an on-line application process, the survey would be administered through a web survey. Finally, if applications are mailed out to individuals, the survey would be mailed out and returned with the application. In Mississippi, for example, we will mail out the survey to the sample discussed in B2 and use various forms of follow-up, including phone, to increase response.

B4) Pre-Testing of Procedures

The survey is currently being pre-tested at one of the AHPP sites on 9 potential applicants.

B5) Persons Responsible for Statistical Aspects of the Design

Todd Richardson, Deputy Director of the Program Evaluation Division, is responsible for the statistical aspects of the survey design. He can be contacted at (202) 402-5706.