AHS New Orleans Metropolitan Sample

DC

AHS-26/66(L) (Dallas)
(2-2009)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-0001
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

Dear Resident:
I am writing to ask for your help with an important survey that the U.S. Census Bureau is
conducting called the American Housing Survey. A Census Bureau field representative will be
contacting you to help complete the survey. He or she will show you an official identification card
or provide you with his or her name and interviewer code to confirm employment with the
Census Bureau. The field representative will ask you questions about your home and your
household. Some of the items covered include the number of rooms, heating and cooling
equipment, and the cost of housing. We have enclosed a work sheet with this letter. Please fill it
out in advance so that you can answer the questions more easily. The Census Bureau needs
your help to collect accurate data so that policymakers can assess the quality of current
government programs and better plan for the future.
The Census Bureau chose your address, not you personally, as part of a randomly selected
sample. Because this is a sample survey, your answers represent not only your home but also
thousands of other homes like yours. For this reason, your cooperation in this voluntary survey
will provide a distinct service to our country. You may decline to answer any or all questions, but
each item not answered lessens the quality of the final results. We need to interview every home
in our sample to get a complete picture of the housing situation across the country.
We are conducting this survey under the authority of Title 13, United States Code, Section 8.
Section 9 of this law requires us to keep all information about you and your household strictly
confidential. We may use this information only for statistical purposes. Every Census Bureau
employee, from the Director to the field representative who conducts the interview, has taken an
oath to abide by this law and is subject to a jail term, a fine, or both, if he or she discloses any
information that could identify you or your household.
We have included answers to the most frequently asked questions about this survey with this
letter. If you would like further information, please contact the Census Bureau by writing or
calling the office below, or visiting our Web site: www.census.gov/hhes/www/ahs.html.
Regional Director
U.S. Census Bureau
8585 North Stemmons Frwy, Suite 800S
Dallas, TX 75247- 3836
Telephone: 1-800-835-9752
Thank you for your cooperation. I am grateful for your participation.
Sincerely,

Thomas L. Mesenbourg
Acting Director
Enclosure
Si desea que la entrevista sea en español, favor de comunicarse a la
Oficina Regional indicada anteriormente.

USCENSUSBUREAU
Helping You Make Informed Decisions

www.census.gov

WHAT IS THIS SURVEY ALL ABOUT?
The American Housing Survey provides up-to-date information on the size and composition of the
housing inventory. As the country grows, so does the demand for housing. There is a great need for
information about the types of homes in which people are now living and the characteristics of these
homes, as well as the costs of running and maintaining them.
Information from the survey helps to measure the changes in our housing supply resulting from losses and
new construction. It measures the structural makeup of the housing and characteristics of the occupants.
The information also helps to evaluate the effects of proposals on tax reform and assistance programs.
HOW WAS I SELECTED FOR THIS SURVEY?
We chose your address, not you personally. The U.S. Census Bureau scientifically selected a sample of
addresses throughout the United States. If you move away, this address will stay in the survey, and we
will interview the household that moves here.
YOU WERE HERE TWO YEARS AGO. WHY ARE YOU COMING BACK?
We return to obtain a measure of the changes (or lack of changes) that have taken place in the number of
houses available in the United States, the physical condition of the country=s housing, and the
characteristics of the occupants.
IS THIS SURVEY AUTHORIZED BY LAW? WHAT PROTECTION DO I HAVE?
Congress requires the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to collect this
information under the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983 (Title 12 of the United States
Code (U.S.C.)). HUD has asked the Census Bureau to conduct the survey. The Census Bureau has the
authority to collect and protect this information under Title 13 of the U.S.C., Section 8. All information
that individuals give to the Census Bureau is held in the strictest confidence by law (Title 13, U.S.C.,
Section 9). Although there are no penalties for not answering, each missing answer makes the national
figures on housing less accurate. Your answers may be combined with information that you give to other
agencies to enhance the statistical use of these data, but all data will be kept strictly confidential.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
We expect it will take about 30 minutes for you to provide this information, but it may
be somewhat shorter or longer, depending on your circumstances. If you have any comments
on this survey or have recommendations for reducing its length, please send them to the Director,
Housing and Demographic Analysis Division, Office of Policy Development and Research, Office of
Economic Affairs, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC 20410. The Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) control number is 2528-XXX for this survey. This number confirms
that we have approval from OMB to conduct this survey. Approval for this survey expires on .
I THOUGHT THAT THE CENSUS BUREAU OPERATED ONLY EVERY TEN YEARS WHEN
IT COUNTED PEOPLE. WHAT IS THE CENSUS BUREAU DOING NOW?
Besides the decennial census, which we conduct every ten years, we collect many different kinds of
statistics through other censuses and surveys. We conduct other censuses regularly, including the
censuses of business and manufacturers and the census of state and local governments. In addition, we
collect data on a monthly basis to provide current information on such topics as unemployment rates,
retail and wholesale trade, various manufacturing activities, and new housing construction, as well as
yearly surveys on business, manufacturing, governments, family income, health, and education. Most
cases in the American Housing Survey are visited once every two years. Small groups of people in some
large metropolitan areas are scheduled to be interviewed every six to eight years.