Federal Register Notice

[Federal Register: September 23, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 185)]
[Notices]
[Page 54847-54849]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23se08-90]
----------------------------------------------------------------------DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR-5130-N-30]

Privacy Act; Notification of New Privacy Act System of Records,
Housing Counseling Research Data Files
AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information Officer, HUD.
ACTION: Establishment of a new Privacy Act system of records.
----------------------------------------------------------------------SUMMARY: The Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD proposes
to establish a new record system to add to its inventory of systems of
records subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended.
The proposed new system of record is the Housing Counseling Research
Data Files. The records system will be used by HUD's Office of Policy
Development and Research (PD&R) to conduct research and evaluation
study of certain participants of HUD-funded Housing Counseling
Agencies. Refer to the ``Objective'' caption to obtain detailed
information about the purpose of this study.
DATES: Effective Date: This action shall be effective without further
notice on October 23, 2008 unless comments are received that would
result in a contrary determination.
Comments Due Date: October 23, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding
this notice to the Rules Docket Clerk, Office of General Counsel, Room
10276, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street,
SW., Washington, DC 20410. Communications should refer to the above
docket number and title. A copy of each communication submitted will be
available for public inspection and copying between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
weekdays at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Robinson-Staton, Departmental
Privacy Act Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451
Seventh Street, SW., Room 4178, Washington, DC 20410, telephone number
(202) 402-8073. (This is not a toll-free number.) A telecommunication
device for hearing- and speech-impaired individuals (TTY) is available
at 1-800-877-8339 (Federal Information Relay Service).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5
U.S.C. 552a), as amended notice is given that HUD proposes to establish
a new system of records as identified as Housing Counseling Data Files.
Title 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) and (11) provides that the public be
afforded a 30-day period in which to comment on the new system of

records, and requires published notice of the existence and character
of the system of records.
The new system report was submitted to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB), the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and the
House Committee on Government Reform pursuant to paragraph 4c of
Appendix 1 to OMB Circular No. A-130, ``Federal Agency Responsibilities
for Maintaining
[[Page 54848]]
Records About Individuals,'' July 25, 1994; 59 FR 37914.
System Security Measures: The availability and data in Housing
Counseling Data Files are important. Much of the data needs to be
protected from unanticipated or unintentional modification. HUD
restricts the use of the information to HUD's Abt Associates Inc.
contractors' oversight responsibility, vulnerabilities and
corresponding security measures to ensure data protection as follows:
Each employee at IMPAQ has a unique identifier. There is no general
company ID that can be used by multiple employees to log in to the
system. It is a violation of IMPAQ security policy to share usernames
and logins with anyone else. When an employee leaves IMPAQ, part of the
exit checklist is to disable the employee's account, so that the
employees can no longer log in and remote access privileges are also
disabled. Access rights will be selectively granted, depending on
duties and need-to-know. Full access rights to all data in the system
will be granted to fewer than 5 users, primarily project managers at
IMPAQ and Abt Associates. Limited access rights will be granted to all
counselors. Counselors will only have the ability to review records
pertaining to clients of their agency. No disks or tapes are involved
in the system. The consent forms validating the applicant's
participation in the study will be scanned into electronic files that
will be encrypted and then provided to Abt Associates via a secure,
password protected HTTPS site. The baseline questionnaires will be
entered into a secure electronic database that is encrypted at the
database level. Both the consent forms and baseline questionnaires will
then be stored at a secure off-site facility for the duration of the
project. All other data will be entered into the database by counselors
via a secure Web site so that all data transmitted over the Internet
are encrypted. Counselors will only able to access data under their
jurisdiction; downloading of data is not permitted from the actual
system. Counselors would access the system through the Internet via
Internet Explorer Web browser. The system requires a username and
password to gain access, and only authorized counselors or staff at
each agency would be provided with a username and password. Backup is
performed through an online vendor who backs up data on a frequent,
regular basis in a manner such that the data are encrypted while in
transmission over the Internet. No hard-copy printouts containing
personal information are anticipated to be generated on a regular
basis. If any are generated as a result of ad hoc report requests, they
will be carefully handled and shredded as soon as they are no longer
needed. If these reports are needed for more than 1 day, they will be
kept locked in a locked filing cabinet or in other storage rooms at
IMPAQ or at off-site storage vendors which are heavily secured. Besides
physical security of data, IMPAQ has in place procedures for handling
datasets with personal identifiers that are similar to FedEx tracking
system in that personal signatures by members of the IT department or
the research team on the project are required at all stages of data

handling until the personal identifiers are stripped and replaced with
unique identifiers that are of no use to a potential identity thief.
All IMPAQ staff are trained in security procedures and policies.
Multiple layers of security are built into the IMPAQ computing
infrastructure to maximize security.
Data Quality: Client participating in the study will be asked to
complete a baseline questionnaire at the time they are enrolled in the
study. Each counseling agency participating will be asked to complete
service tracking surveys, for each client each time that client is
assisted, and counseling information surveys. The baseline
questionnaire and surveys include Name, address, household demographics
(age, gender, race, ethnicity, income, assets, marital status,
education, current work status, number of dependents, living situation
and costs); financial information (gross monthly income, amount in
savings, amount in retirement accounts, monthly rent paid, monthly
utilities paid, mortgage payment status); Social Security Number (SSN),
homeownership status, program status information, counseling agency ID,
employment history of counselor, Born in U.S., English as primary
language, homeownership status, foreclosure status; name, address, and
telephone numbers of two relatives or friends for future follow-up.
This data collection serves two goals (1) it will provide more detailed
information on the characteristics of key groups of housing counseling
clients, the specific services they receive from counseling agencies,
and the short-term outcomes realized from their counseling (2) it will
lay the groundwork for a follow-up survey of these same clients to look
at longer-term outcomes (3) it will also help lay the groundwork for an
impact evaluations or pre-purchase housing counseling by providing
experience with enrolling counseling clients in a study, collecting
information on the counseling assistance they receive, and tracking
them over time.
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552a 88 Stat. 1896; 342 U.S.C. 3535(d).
Lisa Schlosser,
Chief Information Officer.
HUD/PDR-10
SYSTEM NAME:
Housing Counseling Research Data Files.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
Housing Counseling Research Data Files servers are in Cambridge
Massachusetts. System is maintained and operated by Abt Associates,
IMPAQ International and software is loaded on their desktop computer at
the Columbia Maryland location. The client system database software
will be installed on secure servers at IMPAQ International in Columbia,
MD. Project staff at IMPAQ will access the servers via the IMPAQ
computer network infrastructure, again with authorization (username and
password) required.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
Individuals selected in a random sample of clients participating in
housing counseling.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
Name, address, household demographics (age, gender, race,
ethnicity, income, assets, marital status, education, current work

status, number of dependents, living situation and costs); financial
information (gross monthly income, amount in savings, amount in
retirement accounts, monthly rent paid, monthly utilities paid,
mortgage payment status); Social Security Number, homeownership status,
program status information, counseling agency ID, employment history of
counselor, Born in U.S., English as primary language, homeownership
status, foreclosure status; name, address, and telephone numbers of two
relatives or friends for future follow-up.
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
Sec. 501, 502, Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 (Pub. L.
91-609), 12 U.S.C. 1701z-1, 1701z-2.
PURPOSE:
To conduct an outcome evaluation study on the outcomes realized by
clients of HUD-funded Housing Counseling Agencies seeking assistance to
either purchase a home (pre-purchase clients) or to resolve or prevent
a
[[Page 54849]]
mortgage delinquency (foreclosure mitigation clients). The study is
designed to gather statistically accurate information on outcomes
realized by the clients of the participating housing counseling
agencies. The study focuses on two groups of clients: (1) Clients
seeking assistance to purchase a home (pre-purchase clients) and (2)
clients seeking to resolve or prevent a mortgage delinquency
(foreclosure mitigation clients). Up to Thirty housing counseling
agencies at random will be recruited to participate in this study. The
selected agencies will provide samples of data from each of the two
groups, selected. The data collected through the study will support
analysis of not just the frequency of different client outcomes, but
also the association between these outcomes and client characteristics,
client circumstances, and the extent of services received.
Additionally, the proposed study will fulfill two important needs for
HUD and the counseling field. First, it will provide systematic
information on the outcomes realized by counseling clients and how
these outcomes vary with the characteristics or clients and the
services they receive. The study will also lay the groundwork for a
subsequent pre-purchase impact evaluation by testing data collection
procedures to be used to enroll clients, gather information on the
characteristics of the services they receive, and track them over time.
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES: In addition to those
disclosures generally permitted under 5 U.S.C. A.
A. To individuals under contract to HUD or under contract to
another agency with funds provided by HUD--for the preparation of
studies and statistical reports directly related to the management of
HUD's Housing Counseling Programs.
B. To future researchers selected by HUD to carry out the
objectives of HUD's Housing Counseling Program in aggregate form
without individual identifiers--name, address, social security number-for the performance of research and statistical activities of the
Housing Counseling Programs.
C. To authorized social science researchers participating in HUD's
Housing Counseling Program in aggregate form without individual

identifiers--name, address, social security number--for the performance
of research and statistical activities of the Housing Counseling
Programs.
D. To participating counseling agencies for only part of the
database to gather data identifying information that they gather from
their own clients participating in the study and not the part of the
database that contains social security numbers, birth dates, or data on
the housing counseling clients of other agencies.
E. To credit bureaus to draw credit reports on the individuals
selected to participate in the Housing Counseling Outcome Evaluation.
F. To HUD's Housing Counseling System, including the Client
Activity Reporting System (CARS) to match sample clients' baseline,
service tracking, and outcome data gathered during the course of this
research to data reported on those clients in CARS.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING,
AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
STORAGE:
In file folders and electronic files stored on contractors' secured
servers and computers.
RETRIEVABILITY:
Name, address.
SAFEGUARDS:
Manual files will be kept in sealed envelopes, in locked cabinets,
in locked offices; computer records will be maintained in a separate
secured area accessible only to authorized personnel with passwords.
The consent forms will be scanned into electronic files that will be
encrypted and then provided to Abt Associates via a secure, password
protected HTTPS site. When the consent forms are used to obtain credit
reports for the study, a copy of the consent form will be provided
using the same secure HTTPS site and encrypted files to the agency that
obtains the credit reports. The baseline questionnaires will be entered
into an electronic database that will be encrypted at the database
level and accessible only to authorized personnel with passwords. Both
the consent forms and baseline questionnaires will then be stored at a
secure off-site facility for the duration of the project.
RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:
All personal identifiers will be destroyed approximately six months
after the research is completed.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS:
Mark Shroder, Acting Director of the Program Evaluation Division,
Office of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and
Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410,
Telephone Number (202) 402-5922.
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:
For information, assistance, or inquiry about existence or records,
contact Donna Robinson-Staton, Departmental Privacy Act Officer,
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC, in accordance with the procedures in 24 CFR part 16.
CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
Procedures for the amendment or correction of records, and for

applicants who want to appeal initial agency determination appear in 24
CFR part 16. If additional information is needed, contact:
(i) In relation to contesting contents of records, the Departmental
Privacy Act Officer at HUD, 451 Seventh Street, SW., Room 2256,
Washington, DC 20410; and
(ii) In relation to appeals of initial denials, HUD, Departmental
Privacy Appeals Officer, Office of General Counsel, 451 Seventh Street,
SW., Washington, DC 20410.
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
The original records are transferred from information obtained from
baseline questionnaires for participating clients and service tracking
surveys on counseling services received by those clients from the
record subjects, participating counseling agencies, and credit bureaus.
EXEMPTIONS FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT:
None.
[FR Doc. E8-22144 Filed 9-22-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P