OMB Part A Revised 6-20-2011

This supporting statement provides detailed information on proposed data collection activities associated with the Homelessness Prevention Study administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

A1. Circumstances that make the collection of information necessary

Congress established the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), to provide resources to state and local governments to aid households at risk of homelessness maintain stable housing and to help those currently experiencing homelessness get back into permanent housing quickly. Through this program, HUD allocated $1.5 billion (based on the formula it uses to determine emergency shelter grants) to 535 government agency grantees (55 states and territories, 147 counties, and 333 cities) to be spent over a three-year period.¹ The funding for this program was critical during a deep recession and mortgage crisis that continues to affect households across the country, resulting in unprecedented loss of employment and housing. HPRP funds are the first major federal effort to fund homelessness prevention activities and, as such, represent a tremendous opportunity to learn about the types of programs communities are designing and implementing across the country.

There is considerable flexibility and, consequently, variability in the ways HPRP grantees have implemented their programs. Grantees may choose to take on direct service delivery themselves or disburse funds to local nonprofits and/or government agency subgrantees. Grantees may have numerous subgrantees and subgrantees can operate HPRP-funded prevention programs for more than one grantee. It is also the case that direct grantees can simultaneously act as subgrantees to other grantees. These complex HPRP networks vary significantly from one community to the next. Preliminary analysis of HUD grantee and subgrantee data shows a total universe of approximately 2,700 grantees and subgrantees.

Grantees and subgrantees have dedicated resources to support a wide variety of different prevention and rapid re-housing services. For example, HPRP funds may support already homeless households and those at risk of homelessness with housing relocation and stabilization services, including outreach and engagement, case management, housing search and placement, legal services, and credit repair counseling. HPRP programs also routinely provide direct financial assistance for back rent payments, rental assistance or costs associated with moving like security deposits, utility payments, moving costs, and motel and hotel vouchers. Notably, grantees have substantial discretion in structuring financial assistance, including the duration (3 to18 months), depth, and tenant share of the rental subsidy. However, there are types of assistance for which grantees may not use HPRP funds. Among these, are program elements that may have been present in a grantee’s pre-existing prevention or rapid re-housing program, including employment counseling, training or educational programs, child care, or help with transportation, food, household items, furniture, appliances, or help with mortgage payment arrears.

HUD requires that all agencies use the same criteria to determine basic eligibility for HPRP services, although communities may choose to establish additional targeting criteria. All program recipients must have income at or below 50 percent of the area median income and they must be either homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. Recipients of homelessness prevention services must show that they would likely be homeless “but for” this assistance and that they will be “able to achieve stable housing” once HPRP support ends. Primary HPRP grantees may add other eligibility criteria to target their services to particular populations.

More than halfway through HPRP implementation, HUD has requested an in-depth process study of HPRP-funded prevention programs.² This study will provide detailed information as to how communities have implemented the program in order to document the usage of HPRP funds and inform the design of a future study of the impact of homelessness prevention programs. The following approaches to data collection will be taken as part of this study:

(a) An analysis of existing HUD Performance Reports to create a database documenting basic information, program activities and related expenditures for the universe of grantees in order to construct a general overview of those entities directly receiving HPRP funds. We will also use HUD Performance Reports to identify the universe of subgrantees in order to construct a two-stage sample design (grantee- subgrantee) for the web survey (see section (c) below). The information contained in these reports includes the following:

1. Quarterly Performance Report (QPR) – Grantees aggregate the data for the QPR from HMIS client-level data and submit it to HUD via e-snaps four times a year. In addition to including contact information for the HPRP grantee, it includes program information on number of clients served, types of prevention services (reported in HUD-created categories), and HPRP expenditures by category.³

2. Initial Performance Report (IPR) – Grantees submitted the IPR in October 2009. In addition to information regularly collected by the QPR, the IPR recorded information on grantee targeting and HMIS plans. The IPR also required that grantees attach a sheet reporting limited contact data on subgrantees.⁴

3. Annual Performance Report (APR) – The APR provides grantee information, program outputs, client characteristics by household type and by exit status (still a client or exited), HPRP expenditures by service type, eligible activities and sub-activities, and program performance by service type.⁵

4. Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS) – Grantees use this online database to draw down HPRP funds. The IDIS unit of analysis is the service delivery agency and must “represent either the subgrantee or the organization directly carrying out HPRP-funded activities.”⁶ The IDIS collects data on expenditures by HPRP activity (i.e., prevention financial assistance, prevention housing relocation and stabilization services) and minimal information on the organization or grantee/subgrantee.

A description of the research team’s request for data from the HUD performance reports is included in Appendix A.

(b) A web survey to solicit responses from grantees and subgrantees regarding the HPRP program design, implementation, program operations (e.g. screening and assessment, and services provided), and program monitoring and data collection activities.

(c) Site visits to meet with key informants, such as systems- and provider-level stakeholders, to understand community decision-making, HPRP operations and activities, assessment and triage work, the relationship of HPRP to local homeless assistance networks, and lessons learned.

(d) Convening an expert panel with researchers, technical assistance providers, practitioners, grantees and policy advocates to discuss the proposed research design options for a future experimental, or quasi-experimental, study; and to discuss the challenges associated with evaluating the impact of prevention programs.

This OMB submission addresses research activities described in (b) the web survey of grantees and subgrantees and (c) the site visits.

A2. How, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used

A2.1 Project Overview

HUD contracted with the Urban Institute (along with subcontractors, Abt. Associates, The Cloudburst Group, and Vanderbilt University) to conduct the Homelessness Prevention Study. This 76-week long project will examine how communities are allocating HPRP funds and implementing programs. It involves multiple research methods to produce valid data for describing and assessing program activities and outcomes. The study itself is broken down into two principal components. The first is a multi-methods process study that encompasses analysis of HUD performance reports, a web survey of a nationally representative sample of HPRP grantees and subgrantees, and site visits to 15-18 of HPRP-funded communities that include discussions with key informants. The second component consists of a feasibility study that draws on the process study and a panel of experts to present design options for experimental or quasi-experimental impact studies of homelessness prevention programs.

Upon completion, the study will make substantial contributions to the understanding of homelessness prevention efforts and related policies. Specifically, it will:

Describe in detail how HPRP grantees across the country have used Recovery Act funding and accurately capture the types of efforts being implemented at both the systems and program level;

Document how communities conceptualized and established their prevention program; how they implemented their program; and how they measure outcomes related to the program; and

Identify three approaches for rigorously evaluating the impact of homelessness prevention programs in one or more future studies.

A2.2 Purpose of the Data Collection

To address all of the key policy topics noted above and to satisfy Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) requirements that federal agencies undertake independent evaluations of program performance,⁷ new data (for which this OMB clearance is requested) must be gathered. The data currently collected by HUD for program administration purposes provides little insight into specific program activities or HPRP implementation on the ground.

Using a sophisticated methodology to sample 100 grantees and 400 subgrantees, the proposed survey of HPRP grantees and subgrantees will produce a clear national picture of the structure of HPRP programs and the kinds of activities that are being carried out with ARRA funds. To reduce reporting burden and increase response rates, the survey will be administered online and consist of closed-ended questions.

The site visits to 15 to 18 communities across the country will provide vital information about the implementation of specific homelessness prevention programs, which will include understanding how programmatic decisions are made and evolve, how grantees and subgrantees coordinate their efforts within homelessness service systems, how different program’s designs work in the field, and how different communities are approaching the evaluation of client outcomes. We plan to identify qualified sites through discussions with experts in the field and from preliminary survey results. From this pool, we will purposefully sample sites based geographic diversity and program size as well as five criteria: strong implementation; presence of triage and targeting efforts; different program target populations; a range of prevention activities and mix of emergency and systems prevention efforts; and HMIS coverage.

A2.3 Who Will Use the Information

Data from the web survey will allow HUD to characterize current homelessness prevention activities, clearly identify programmatic differences among grantees and subgrantees, and pinpoint areas where HUD guidance may be needed. These data will also help HUD make decisions about the future design of homelessness prevention programs.

Information gleaned from the site visits will enable HUD to identify in more detail the strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and major challenges of implementing homelessness prevention programs both on a systems and program level in order to make the necessary adjustments (e.g. provide more technical assistance, resources) to make the program most effective. The site visits will also lay the groundwork for future analyses of the impact of homelessness prevention programs by providing insight into issues around the selection of clients and local agency evaluation capacity.

A2.4 Instrument Item-by-Item Justification

Web Survey

Exhibit 1 shows the types of information we will collect through the web survey and the justification for including each question/topic. A copy of the HPRP grantees’ and subgrantees’ survey instrument is included as Appendix B. Note that all question numbers within the survey instrument are preceded with a letter prefix. The letter prefix relates to the appropriate respondent. For example, we only want direct service providers and those who have deep program-level knowledge to respond to particular questions about how prevention programs are being implemented on the ground (question numbers start with “P” prefix). Similarly, we only want those who have deep knowledge of community-level planning and decision making to respond to another subset of questions (question numbers start with “CP prefix.”) All remaining questions are for all respondents (questions starting with “A” prefix). The screener questions (question numbers start with “S” prefix) are also for all respondents.

EXHIBIT 1. Item-by-Item Justification of Online Survey – Grantees and Subgrantees

Question(s) / Topic(s)

Content and justification for inclusion

Screener

S1-S9

The first set of screener questions are key to the web survey because they provide basic descriptive data about the agencies and respondents. This includes elements such as type of agency or role of respondent and whether the agency offers specifically HPRP prevention services, since this is the focus of the survey. While this information is available for direct grantees, it may have changed since the period in which it was reported; and the information is absent altogether for subgrantees. The screener questions also capture the complexity of the HPRP funding stream. Agencies may be sampled as a subgrantee but also be a direct HPRP grantee. In addition, subgrantees may sub-grant to other local organizations. This level of complexity is not available through the HUD performance reports. The subsequent screener questions serve to set up the skip patterns for the rest of the survey.

Pre-HPRP Homelessness Prevention Activities

CPI

P1-P4

We currently have no data on whether agencies had any experience operating homelessness prevention programs or any homelessness-related program prior to HPRP. Many communities have lodged HPRP prevention funds in family services or anti-poverty agencies unconnected to the local homeless services system and less likely to have extensive experience with helping households find housing. This lack of familiarity may affect their ability to help households most efficiently and effectively. This section first asks (on the community and program level) whether a prevention program was in place and, if so, what funding streams were used, how the population served under the earlier program compares to those served under HPRP, what data were collected, and how these data were used to inform the design of the agency’s HPRP homelessness prevention program. Information about previous experiences with homelessness prevention and homelessness response in general is important because it is not available from any of the standard HUD reporting forms and because it is likely to affect both the design and implementation of HPRP homelessness prevention programs. Further, asking specifics about the funding streams used for previous homelessness prevention efforts has implications for the future sustainability of efforts mounted during HPRP; and specifics on the agency’s related data collection offer clues about the internal capacity of agencies to track the efforts expended during their HPRP-funded program. Lastly, this section solicits information about prevention’s role in the larger homelessness response system by asking about the local Continuum of Care and a local 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. These data are not gathered in any of the HUD Performance Reports and are important for analyzing how these factors may be related to local capacity and homelessness prevention implementation.

HPRP Funding Allocation

CP2-CP5

These questions are exclusively directed to respondents with community-level insight. In the HUD Performance Reports, there was initial data gathered from grantees on how they allocated their HPRP funds between prevention and rapid re-housing. However, no data have been gathered about how these decisions were made and how and/or why they may have changed over time. In addition, we want to understand community level funding allocations and decision-making rather than that of individual agencies.

HPRP Eligibility and Targeting

A1-A7

HUD defined its own basic eligibility guidelines for HPRP; however, within that framework, agencies could choose to further define the target population for their services. No data are currently available on what percentage of grantees went beyond HUD’s eligibility guidelines and how these agencies made their decisions about whom to serve. This information is key to understanding who are the beneficiaries of HPRP and also has important implications for the design of a future impact study of homelessness prevention.

Asking about targeting efforts allows us to estimate the percentage of agencies that might be creaming—that is, choosing to serve clients who are seen as the “easiest” to serve, and more likely to successfully avoid homelessness on their own without assistance from HPRP (e.g., no previous experiences of homelessness, employed or employable, no prior evictions, no criminal history, no disabilities, strong social networks, etc.) While agencies that make this choice are likely to see more positive outcomes for their homelessness prevention clients, the program may not actually be preventing homelessness since the people served are not likely to have become homeless without the assistance. In contrast, agencies that choose to direct homelessness prevention services to “hard-to-serve” clients—those at highest risk for homelessness—may have more mixed results for their prevention program but may actually be preventing homelessness. In particular, these types of programs focus on serving clients with previous experiences of homelessness and/or risk factors like mental or physical health problems, a recent exit from an institutional setting (e.g., foster care, prison, transitional housing), and/or other significant barriers to employment and stable housing. All respondents answer an extensive series of questions about their eligibility criteria and target population to better understand these dynamics. Program-level expert respondents also provide information about what they require households to do to receive services since this also serves as a filter.

Intake for HPRP Activities

CP6-CP10

P6-P12

The entry-points to HPRP homelessness prevention services (e.g., other agencies, community helpline), the method of entry (e.g., outreach vs. third party referral vs. self-referral), as well as the timing of entry (e.g., before leaving a facility or program vs. at the time of crisis) also help to define the population that are then screened for program eligibility. In this way, agencies or communities structure their intake procedures to cream, that is to serve the clients most likely to succeed or, in contrast, to assist the hardest to serve. Each of these choices have important implications for future evaluations of homelessness prevention (see explanation in above section on HPRP Eligibility and Targeting). No information on intake is currently gathered in HUD performance reports. We also ask about whether clients are being screened for eligibility using standardized screening and assessment tools to understand how systematically decisions are being made and to identify which agencies may be able to share this kind of tool with us. Little is known about these procedures and identifying best practices would help the field of homelessness prevention substantially. At this time, no data are available on assessment tools. “Community” and “program” level respondents answer different questions because one is providing information about a coordinated community-wide approach and the other is illuminating how things work for a particular organization. A key question for homelessness prevention is the degree to which there activities are coordinated within a wider response system.

Mainstream Agency Collaboration

A8-A14

All respondents answer these questions that are designed to provide insight into how communities and agencies are engaging with mainstream agencies’ ⁸homelessness prevention. No information is currently gathered on this interagency collaboration on HUD Performance Reports. However, it has important implications for future homelessness prevention program design, especially in the current budget environment where effective collaboration may be increasingly important to off-set potential spending limits.

Prevention Activities

P13-P23

While the HUD performance reports provide some limited information on grantees’ prevention activities, they may not be directly providing any services themselves and are simply aggregating data from multiple subgrantees. In addition, the activity codes themselves do not allow for a thorough characterization of what actual services agencies are providing with HPRP funds. As a result, we plan to ask a series of questions exclusively to direct service providers and those with in-depth program level knowledge about specific program parameters including: the structure and duration of rental assistance, which other types of financial and support services are available, how case management is used (e.g., timing, duration, method, intensity), and the extent to which contact is maintained with homelessness prevention clients after they exit the program. All of this information is important for both future homelessness prevention program design and also helps inform the feasibility study for a future evaluation of impact.

Tracking Outcomes

CP11

These questions capture which types of data are being collected at the community level, for what purposes these data are used, and where they are stored (i.e. HMIS system vs. other local data tracking systems). This information is particularly important for assessing the potential capacity of local communities to participate in a future evaluation of homelessness prevention impact. We must gather this information through the survey since none of it appears in the HUD Performance Reports.

Changes in Capacity and Systems Change

CP12

A15-16

No insights have been solicited on HUD Performance Reports about the changes in the homelessness response system that may have been facilitated by the HPRP. These questions are important to document the effect of HPRP funds in building capacity for future homelessness prevention programs. Community-level experts will provide this insight. The final questions, asked of all respondents, gauge the likelihood that communities and individual agencies will continue their homelessness prevention efforts once HPRP funding is no longer available. This information is important to both future program planning and the design of future impact evaluations.

Site Visit Interview Guide

Exhibit 2 lays out the principal domains covered by the site visit interview guide and a clear justification for each area’s inclusion in our instrument. The proposed site visit interview guide is included as Appendix C.

EXHIBIT 2. Item-by-Item Justification of Site Visit Interview Guide
Question(s) / Topic(s)	Content and justification for inclusion
Agency and Respondent Role in HPRP Prevention Sections 1 and 2	This first question helps the interviewer understand/clarify a couple of key things about the respondent and his/her agency that set the stage for the rest of the interview: 1) whether or not the agency is an HPRP grantee and/or subgrantee, and 2) whether or not they directly provide HPRP prevention services. There are many complex relationships in the HPRP prevention system. It is possible that an agency may be both a grantee and a subgrantee to multiple grantees. There are also sub-sub grantees in the system that are not captured by HUD data systems at all. This detailed information is needed to map out what the agency’s place is in the HPRP funding structure. It is also important to know if the agency is a direct HPRP prevention service provider because it identifies to the interviewer the need to ask “program level” questions during the interview. The other information solicited in this section of questions provides further information about the local role of the agency and its larger context. We have no information about the agency’s service areas or how they define their local community or network of homelessness response. This information is critical to understanding how a “system” of homelessness prevention works. Lastly, the questions about the role of the respondent at the agency help cue the interviewer about the types of questions that he/she might be best to answer.
Understanding the Respondent’s Knowledge Section 3	This series of questions directly shapes the rest of the interview by getting the respondent to identify up front which topics he/she is most knowledgeable about. For example, some respondents might be able to talk in general terms about HPRP prevention decision making at the CoC level, but do not have insights into how the program was implemented at an agency or program level.
Previous Prevention Programs Sections A and B	There are two different sets of questions for this domain: one for those answering “community” level questions, and one for those answering “program” level questions. The content is essentially the same but the wording is slightly different to make the questions appropriate for the respondent. It is important to understand HPRP prevention in the context of previous homelessness prevention for several reasons. First, it may have informed their decision-making about the structure of their HPRP program (i.e. evaluations of what worked well). Second, it may have put in place infrastructure and/or relationships that have implications for the implementation of HPRP homelessness prevention programs. Third, local communities previous experience may give them insights into important issues about the sustainability of prevention programs post-HPRP. We ask some questions about previous prevention on the web survey, but a complete narrative about previous experiences is critical to understanding this background more comprehensively.
Decision Making About HPRP Prevention Section B	There are two different sets of questions for this domain: one for those answering community level questions, and one for those answering program level questions. The content is essentially the same but the wording is slightly different to make the questions appropriate for the respondent. The main thrust of these questions is to understand the level of inter-agency coordination for HPRP prevention. Some communities might have taken a “let 1000 flowers bloom” approach, while others may have imposed a common structure and discipline on all grantees, subgrantees, and sub-subgrantees in their network. These decisions have important implications for how HPRP was implemented on the ground and how it might be evaluated in the future. While we touch on this domain in the web survey, this narrative on how decisions were made lends itself much more easily to a semi-structured interview in which the subtleties of the process can be captured.
Target Populations Section C	There are two different sets of questions for this domain: one for those answering community level questions, and one for those answering program level questions. Community level responses will provide insight into general trends and community-wide targeting strategies, while program-level responses will focus on how individual agencies targeted their services on the ground. HUD defined its own basic eligibility guidelines for HPRP; however, within that framework, agencies could choose to further define the target population for their services. No data are currently available on what percentage of grantees went beyond HUD’s eligibility guidelines and how these agencies made their decisions about whom to serve. This information is key to understanding who are the beneficiaries of HPRP and also has important implications for the design of a future impact study of homelessness prevention. Asking about targeting efforts allows us to estimate the percentage of agencies that might be creaming, rather than targeting the hardest to serve. While agencies that make this choice are likely to see more positive outcomes for their homelessness prevention clients, the program may not actually be preventing homelessness since the people served are not likely to have become homeless without the assistance. In contrast, agencies that choose to direct homelessness prevention services to “hard-to-serve” clients—those at highest risk for homelessness—may have more mixed results for their prevention program but actually be preventing homelessness.
Eligibility, Points of Entry, and Screening Section D.	There are two different sets of questions for this domain: one for those answering “community” level questions, and one for those answering “program” level questions. Community level responses are important for understanding the degree to which there is a coordinated system organized by the CoC and/or other local homelessness response networks. The “program level” responses will help us understand the degree to which practice on the ground is consistent with community standards. The entry-points to HPRP homelessness prevention services (e.g., other agencies, community helpline), the method of entry (e.g., outreach vs. third party referral vs. self-referral), as well as the timing of entry (e.g., before leaving a facility or program vs. at the time of crisis) also help to define the population that are then screened for program eligibility. In this way, agencies structure their intake procedures to serve the most likely to succeed clients or to assist the hardest to serve. Each of these choices, has important implications for future evaluations of homelessness prevention (see explanation in above section on HPRP Eligibility and Targeting). We will gather some important quantitative data on this through the web survey, but these more qualitative questions in the site visit guide will help us better understand how clients access and move through the system, the procedures that are used by different actors within the system, and the system’s strengths and weaknesses.
Assessment & Triage Section D	There are two different sets of questions for this domain: one for those answering “community” level questions, and one for those answering “program” level questions. Community level responses are important for understanding the degree to which there is a coordinated system organized by the CoC and/or other local homelessness response networks. The “program level” responses will help us understand the degree to which practice on the ground is consistent with community standards. Assessment and triage practices, like eligibility screening and points of entry (described above) have important implications for future evaluations of homelessness prevention efforts because they determine whether those who receive services are actually those most at-risk of experiencing homelessness. We will gather some important quantitative data on this through the web survey, but these qualitative questions in the site visit guide will help us better understand how people move through the system, the procedures that are used by different actors within the system, and the system’s strengths and weaknesses.
Prevention Services Section E	There are two different sets of questions for this domain: one for those answering “community” level questions, and one for those answering “program” level questions. Community level responses are important for understanding the degree to which there are established program activities across the CoC and/or other local homelessness response network. The “program level” responses will help us understand the subtleties of homelessness prevention activities on the ground. The web survey will provide an overview of the rough structure and duration of rental assistance, which other types of financial and support services are available, and how case management is used (e.g., timing, duration, method, intensity), but the site visit interviews will explore how decisions are made about the package of services and assistance that a given client receives as more detailed information about the structure of financial assistance and the interactions between client and provider (i.e. case management) can be collected. Understanding the details of how homelessness prevention programs are run is key to both future planning of prevention efforts and structuring/designing a meaningful impact evaluation.
Monitoring & Data Section F	There are two different sets of questions for this domain: one for those answering “community” level questions, and one for those answering “program” level questions. Community level responses are important for understanding the degree to which data gathering and evaluation are coordinated across the CoC and/or other local homelessness response network. The “program level” responses will help us understand practices unique to individual agencies. In order to design a feasible impact study for homelessness prevention, it is key to understand the capacity of both the community and individual agencies to gather and provide data necessary for use in random assignment, tracking clients and outcomes after their services have ended, and understanding the type and depth of services received. Some information about data will be gathered in the web survey, but the site visit interviews will allow us to have a better feel for the challenges that agencies experience with their systems that may affect data quality and/or scope.
Effectiveness of HPRP & Plans for the Future Section G	There are two different sets of questions for this domain: “community” and “program” level. “Community” respondents will be asked about prior experience with systems-wide evaluation efforts for homelessness prevention, while “program” respondents will be asked about their own agency’s experiences tracking outcomes of clients. Finding out more in-depth about community and agency capacity to evaluate homelessness prevention provides information vital to designing a feasible impact evaluation for HUD. These questions also solicit anecdotal feedback on the effectiveness of the program that will help inform future program design (i.e. what seemed to work well, what didn’t). Some minimal information about this domain will be gathered in the web survey, but the site visit interviews will allow a more nuanced assessment of community/agency capacity and important initial feedback about program effectiveness that cannot be solicited with another method.

A3. Use of automated electronic, mechanical or other technological collection techniques to reduce burden

The survey consists of approximately 30 (multiple choice and yes/no) questions and should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. To reduce reporting burden, the research team has developed an instrument to be administered online; however, respondents have the option of completing the survey by telephone or by mail, if those methods are more convenient for them. Another advantage of the online survey is the automatic tabulation of responses that reduces both the hours of staff time needed for survey processing and the possibilities for introducing errors into the data. The web survey also employs a screener at the beginning that will establish skip patterns that will make sure that respondents are only directed to questions that they are best equipped to answer (i.e. community vs. program level questions). This places less of a burden on the respondent than the customary “if-then go to” instructions of a mail questionnaire.

The Urban Institute has subcontracted with Abt Associates, a research firm with an in-house survey shop SRBI, to manage and conduct the web survey, including all screening, recruitment, follow-ups, data processing and preliminary analysis of the data. Abt SRBI maintains a staff of executive interviewers in its telephone center who have extensive experience conducting surveys with the types of professionals our grantee and subgrantee respondents will be. The interviewers are skilled in working with gatekeepers, are sensitive to demands on respondent time, and recognize that respondents may be asked to participate in many surveys each month. They will also be extensively trained on the fine points of this specific web survey to ensure both efficiency and accuracy.

No automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological data collection techniques will be employed in conjunction with the site visits.

A4. Efforts to identify duplication

During the process of designing the survey instrument, the research team carefully reviewed the data HUD currently collects through QPR, IPR, APR and IDIS (see Section A1 for further detail), and made sure that none collect the kinds of data this survey will provide. HUD, the Urban Institute, and its subcontractors are not aware of any other national studies of HPRP. An extensive review of the literature by UI revealed no other studies collecting the same information evaluating HPRP or any other systematic study of homelessness prevention on a national scale, so the survey will produce the first quantitative data on how communities are implementing HPRP across the country.

There are limits to the types of information we can collect via a web survey. While there appears to be some overlap between the survey and the site visit guide, this does not translate into duplication. The purpose of the site visit is to capture richer data about specific questions. Using open-ended questions, these qualitative interviews will allow us to have a guided conversation with key informants. It is important to emphasize that the site guide is designed to be adapted for a wide variety of respondents. No single respondent will be expected to answer all of the questions and probes contained within it. For example, interviews with Community of Care Staff will likely be limited to “community” level questions only, while interviews with staff in a nonprofit subgrantee will cover program level questions almost exclusively. Similarly, we may speak with IT or data/research staff at one of the agencies and restrict their interview to questions centering around monitoring and data only.

A5. Methods to minimize the burden on small businesses or other small entities

We expect that some of the subgrantees may qualify as “small entities” and we are mindful of minimizing the reporting burden on their small staffs. The choice of a web survey instead of more traditional phone interviews is one example of this. Using this method allows respondents to participate in data collection whenever is most convenient for them and their organization. Efforts have also been made to efficiently design the survey instrument to ensure that respondents can easily and quickly answer all questions that are applicable and skip out of ones that do not apply. Moreover, we plan to emphasize to all web survey respondents that their participation is voluntary.

In terms of the site visits, all in-person interviews will be scheduled at the convenience of the key informants. At the beginning of the site protocol, we also take care to identify up front which types of questions each respondent is equipped to answer in order to restrict the scope and length of the conversation. Also, in cases where we are visiting an agency that responded to the web survey either as a grantee or subgrantee, we will not repeat questions that staff have already answered.

A6. Consequences if data are not collected

This will be the first comprehensive study of HPRP or any other homelessness prevention strategy. The web survey is the only part of this study that would collect nationally representative data from grantees and subgrantees. Failure to collect web survey data will result in insufficient information about how HPRP grantees designed and implemented the program. This information is critical to ongoing assessment, including identifying appropriate output and outcome measures and refining existing reporting requirements. It will also help inform policymakers about how states and local governments used ARRA funding. While HUD Performance Reports provide valuable information on HPRP, descriptions of program activities and actual, rather than projected, outputs and outcomes are limited.

Lack of data collection through site visits would render it difficult for HUD to make future programmatic decisions as well as necessary adjustments (e.g. provide more technical assistance, resources) to make homelessness prevention program most effective. Data gleaned from the site visits is also critical to designing a subsequent study to rigorously evaluate the impact of homelessness prevention activities.

Finally, the recently enacted HEARTH Act will provide communities with the opportunity to dedicate more homeless assistance resources than ever before to homelessness prevention through the new Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program. The provision of guidance, best practices, and the development of evidence-based programs will be critical to the most efficient and effective use of this new funding stream for homelessness prevention.

A7. Special circumstances

The proposed data collection activities are consistent with the guidelines set forth in 5 CFR 1320.6 (Controlling Paperwork Burden on the Public—General Information Collection Guidelines). There are no special circumstances that require deviation from these guidelines.

A8. Federal Register Notice⁹

In accordance with 5 CFR 1308.8 (d) a Notice was published in the Federal Register on March 29, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 60)] [Notices] [Page 17427] announcing HUD’s intention to request OMB review of this data collection effort and soliciting public comments. No comments were received. The Federal Register Notice is included in Appendix D.

A9. Remuneration to respondents

No payments are being made to HPRP grantee and subgrantee respondents who voluntarily agree to participate in the web survey or site visit interviews.

A10. Assurances of confidentiality

As previously indicated, the survey data collection will be conducted by Abt Associates’ survey group, Abt SRBI under subcontract to the Urban Institute. The Urban Institute maintains an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure that research practices and procedures effectively protect the rights and welfare of human subjects, consistent with the requirements set forth in Title 45, Part 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations (45 CFR 46). The Urban Institute’s policy is that all research involving human subjects, not just research sponsored by federal government agencies that have adopted the Common Rule under 45 CFR 46, must adhere to the following principles, among others:

Risks to human subjects from research must be reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits, and must be minimized to the extent possible;
Human subjects must be fully and accurately informed of the nature of the research in which they will be involved, whether their participation is mandatory or voluntary, any consequences of non-participation, any risks associated with their participation, and how the research will be used;
Adequate provision must be made to protect the privacy of human subjects and to maintain the confidentiality of data that are collected, where promised and as appropriate.

In accordance with these policies, we will maintain the following procedures. First, before they agree to participate, all research subjects will be given a clear overview of the study and its goals, the data security plan, the staff confidentiality agreement, and our methods for safeguarding anonymity in our reports and publications. In addition, we will stress the voluntary nature of their participation and make clear to all parties that there are no negative consequences for their person or agency should they choose to not participate. All grantees and subgrantees sampled for the web survey will receive this information in a formal letter with the signature of the PD&R Assistant Secretary and HUD’s logo; respondents will signal their consent by logging on and answering survey questions. For the site visit interviews, we will provide an oral overview of all the above points as an introduction to the interview guide and will obtain oral consent from all participants.

Second, we will take care to safeguard the information gathered from participants in this research effort. The data gathered from the web survey will be analyzed and discussed exclusively in aggregate; no published reports using the web survey data will single out any particular agency. Similarly, everything that key informants share in site visit interviews will be treated as confidential—that is, no comments will be attributed to them as individuals. Because we expect to produce both case study and cross-site analyses of themes, however, it is likely that the comments may be associated with a particular site. In these cases, we will take special care with particularly sensitive information to ensure that it cannot be traced back to a particular respondent.

HUD has statutory authority to offer confidentiality in research studies as established in the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970, Title V, Research Technology, Sec 504, 1565, which states:

(g) The Secretary is authorized to request and receive such information or data as he deems appropriate from private individuals and organizations, and from public agencies. Any such information or data shall be used only for the purposes for which it is supplied, and no publication shall be made by the Secretary whereby the information or data furnished by any particular person or establishment can be identified, except with the consent of such person or establishment.

A11. Questions of a sensitive nature

While the agencies we plan to study serve vulnerable populations, we will not gather any data on individuals or families seeking assistance from HPRP grantees or subgrantees. Our data collection methods all focus exclusively on documenting the homelessness prevention programs themselves. None of the related substantive domains covered are considered private¹⁰ or sensitive.¹¹ Questions asked of both respondents to the web survey and key informants during the site visits will be limited to those focusing on the functioning of the homelessness prevention program and agencies’ service delivery and data system. This can be easily verified through a review of the data collection instruments included in the appendices of this document.

However, some of the entities will be private-for-profit businesses or nonprofit organizations that may consider some information about their businesses or organizations to be proprietary. Respondents will be informed that participation is voluntary, that they can decline to answer any question without consequence, and that their identity will be kept confidential, with answers only reported in the aggregate.

A12. Estimates of the burden of the collection of information

A12.1. Estimate of respondent burden hours

Respondents to the web survey will total 500 grantees and subgrantees with HPRP funding. The average estimated response time for the online survey of HPRP grantees and subgrantees is 15-20 minutes. This will result in an estimated response burden of 150 hours (see Exhibit 3). The instruments will be pretested with no more than nine respondents to make sure the question wording is clear, and to confirm the length of the survey.

EXHIBIT 3. Web Survey Respondent Burden Estimates

Exhibit 3. Web Survey and Site Visit Respondent Burden Estimates

Description	No. of Respondents	Estimated Hours per Response	Total Burden Hours
Survey
HPRP Grantee Survey	100	.3	30
HPRP Subgrantee Survey	400	.3	120
Survey Total	500	.3	150
Site Visits
Interview Key Informants	124	.75	93
Survey + Site Visits
Total	624		243

For the 15 to 18 site visits, we expect to speak with 5 to 10 key informants in each community.¹² Individual conversations will take place in the administrative offices of homelessness prevention providers and partner agencies and will vary substantially in length, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Using the averages for each of these factors, we estimate the total reporting burden for this stage of data collection to be 92.8 hours (16.5 sites x 7.5 key informants x 45 minutes).

A12.2. Total annual cost burden to respondents

In order to calculate the total annual cost burden to respondents, the Urban Institute used Occupational Employment Statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify the median hourly wages (as classified by Standard Occupational Classification, SOC, codes) for the type of respondent most likely to participate in each stage of data collection. See Exhibit 4 for more detail.

EXHIBIT 4. Estimated Median Wages of Homelessness Prevention Study Respondents

Occupation	SOC Code	Median Hourly Wage Rate
Social and Community Service Managers (Avg)	11-9151	$30.19
General	11-9151	$27.21
Local Government	11-9151	$32.24
State Government	11-9151	$31.11

Computer and Information Systems Managers (Local Government)	11-3021	$54.61
Source: Occupational Employment Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

Among the occupations, “social and community service manager” was selected as most representative respondent for the web survey. The 2009 median hourly wage for people in this job category was $27.21. However, it is important to point out we expect these wages to vary since respondents are likely to work for both government and private nonprofit organizations. Those working for government have a median wages that are slightly higher; local government employees make $32.24 and those working for the state make $31.11. As a result, we use an average of the three median wages to calculate the estimated total respondent costs are 150 X $30.19 = $ 4,528 (Total Respondent Burden Hours X Average Median Hourly Wage Rate = Total Respondent Costs). Thus, we expect respondent costs for participating in the web survey to total $4,528.

The site visits will likely include the same type of program management staff at grantee/subgrantee agencies as well as at agencies that lead the local Continuum of Care (CoC), the Ten Year Planning Effort to End Homelessness, and mainstream programs like TANF, child welfare, human services, etc. In addition, we may speak with the data managers who run local HMIS programs (1 in each site). We estimate that the total cost of speaking to the data professionals will be $675.80 (16.5 sites x 1 data manager x 45 minutes x $54.61); the total cost of conversations with program management staff equals roughly $2,428.41 (16.5 sites x 6.5 staff x 45 minutes x $30.19). Thus, we expect respondent costs for participating in the site interview to total $3,104.21.

A13. Total annual cost burden to respondent or record keepers

There are no capital/start-up or ongoing operation/maintenance costs associated with this data collection.

A14. Estimate of annual cost to the government

The total contractual cost to the federal government for the online survey of HPRP grantees and subgrantees is $ 132,000, which includes labor (indirect costs and fees in labor rates) and direct costs. The total cost to the federal government for the site visits is $337,000, which includes labor (indirect costs and fees in labor rates) and direct costs.

A15. Reasons for any program changes or adjustments

This submission is a new request for approval; there is no change in burden.

A16. Plans for tabulation, analysis, and publication

A16.1 Plans for tabulation

The online survey will begin immediately following OMB approval. During that time, Abt SRBI will provide UI with progress reports about interim response rates of grantees and subgrantees. At the end of the survey period, Abt SRBI will provide the Urban Institute with an electronic analysis file of all survey responses.

A16.2 Plans for analysis

Web Survey

The research team will use the data in conjunction with HUD Performance Reports to create a robust representation of HPRP homelessness prevention activities nationally. As described in Part B: Statistical Methods, the survey data will be weighted to provide nationally representative descriptions of all HPRP prevention programs. The data can then be used to characterize the range of prevention activities, target populations, pathways into the system, and methods for measuring outcomes for families and single adults served through HPRP across the country. The survey data will yield findings in three primary areas: program design, program implementation, and performance measurement.

Program Design
We will report the extent to which HPRP grantees and subgrantees indicated they had previous experience with homelessness prevention activities and whether information collected through those activities helped them design prevention activities under HPRP. We will report how grantees and subgrantees are targeting their prevention activities, both in terms of client types (single adults, families, youth) and in terms of client characteristics (history of homelessness or housing instability, presence of disabilities, employment history and status, criminal history). These data will provide information about who is served under HPRP and the extent to which communities are targeting HPRP resources to clients with more barriers to housing vs. those with fewer. We will also use cross tabulations to look for patterns in HPRP program approaches among different types of grantees (states, cities, counties) or grantee experience with earlier homelessness prevention activities.

Program Implementation
The survey data will be used to present a descriptive picture of HPRP at the national level. Simple frequencies will be used to describe program practices and features, such as the use of standard assessment tools, single points of entry for program intake, and the types of services or assistance provided. We will also report the frequency with which HPRP resources are being coordinated with other mainstream assistance systems such as TANF, mental health and child welfare agencies, and criminal justice agencies. We will use cross tabulations to describe, for example, the populations targeted for HPRP prevention activities (veterans, families, youth) by the structure of rental assistance subsidies, and other HPRP services. These analyses will provide a picture of who is receiving HPRP prevention funds and how they are being used.

Performance Measurement —Outcomes
The grantee survey will provide limited but important early data on whether and how HPRP grantees are collecting information on the results of their prevention efforts. In particular, are grantees collecting data to determine whether recipients of prevention services become homeless later? Grantees will report whether and how they are collecting information on families and single adults served (HMIS, surveys of households or providers, individual follow-up with current or former clients, and other methods) to determine whether the people who received assistance ultimately become homeless. Grantees will also be asked if they are using data to identify ways their HPRP efforts could be modified to improve outcomes. The extent to which these data are being collected is valuable for documenting HPRP implementation now, and may be useful in considering design options for future evaluation efforts.

Site Visits

The first stage of data analysis is to write case studies reflecting the findings from each of the 15-18 sites, as required by HUD. Individual case studies will describe and analyze the following:

Brief community description
HPRP prevention activities in the context of the community’s response to homelessness
Scope of approach to prevention—community-wide or other
Pathways to HPRP prevention services
Eligibility criteria, screening and assessment procedures
Targeting
HPRP prevention activities offered, and allocations among households and activities
How do the agencies doing the direct HPRP prevention assistance determine the types and length of assistance?
Data collection activities and use of data to monitor or shape programs; availability of outcome data to document success
What happens after HPRP?

Once all site visits have been completed and draft case studies revised in response to key informant reviews, we will hold a 1.5 day meeting of the process evaluation team, with representatives from the web survey team, to begin the second stage of the process analysis—examining results across sites to see what we can conclude about how HPRP programs work and what might be worth passing on to other communities. We anticipate spending up to an hour on each of the following principal themes:

HPRP prevention activities in the context of the community’s response to homelessness
Scope of approach to prevention—community-wide or other
Pathways to HPRP prevention services
Eligibility criteria, screening and assessment procedures
Targeting
HPRP prevention activities offered, and allocations among households and activities
How do the agencies doing the direct HPRP prevention assistance determine the types and length of assistance?
Data collection activities and use of data to monitor or shape programs; availability of outcome data to document success
What happens after HPRP?
Possible typologies and their utility; conclusions, lessons learned, challenges, recommendations (if any)

A16.3 Plans for publication

Data from the process and feasibility studies—the HUD performance reports, web survey, key informant discussions, expert panel—will be analyzed, integrated, and summarized in a final report. The final report will provide the first national description of HPRP grantees/subgrantees and the extensive in-depth site descriptions about a handful of communities that are implementing innovative homelessness prevention practices.

A 16.4 Time Schedule

Site selection and engagement,
Data collection,
Feasibility study and expert panel,
Final report,

A17. Approval to not display the OMB expiration date

Not Applicable. Abt SRBI will display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection on all instruments and correspondence with prospective respondents.

A18. Exception to the certification statement

This submission, describing data collection, requests no exceptions to the Certificate for Paperwork Reduction Act (5 CFR 1320.9).

Appendices

Appendix A:

Data Request: HUD Performance Reports

Source	Data Element(s)
APR	All APR analyses are for all data elements/variables in a section, unless otherwise noted. 1. Grantee Information 2. Report and Period Status 3. Subgrantee Information 4. Combined HMIS and Comparable Database Data Quality 5a. Persons Served by Household Type – Homelessness Prevention 6. Households Served 7. Housing Status at Entry 8a. Persons and Households Served with Homelessness Prevention by Service Activity 8c. Total Persons and Households Served by Service Activity 9a-c. Gender 10. Age 11a. Ethnicity 11b. Race 12. Persons Served by Victim Services Providers 13a-c. Residence Prior to Program Entry 15, 16. Monthly Income 17. Monthly Benefits 14. Veteran Status 18. Length of Participation by Homelessness Prevention 19. Housing Status at Entry and Exit 20a1-2. Destination for Leavers – Homelessness Prevention (all lengths of stay; all variables) 21. Financial Information – Homelessness Prevention (prevention and totals) 22. Significant Program Accomplishments 23. Program Description 24. Additional Comments
QPR	All QPR analyses are for all data elements/variables in a section, unless otherwise noted. Grantee Information Grant Allocation Subawardee or Subcontract Award Information except officer compensation) from OMB ARRA submission Program Performance (homelessness prevention and totals) Expenditures by Activity Grant Allocation
IPR	Section 1: Grantee Information Grantee Name Grantee identifier Number Grantee Contact Name Contact Address Phone Number? Adminstrative Address Quarterly Period Covered by the Report Section 4: Grant Allocation (including HPRP Subgrantee/Contractor List) Subgrantee Organization Name City State DUNS Number Subgrantee is DV Provider HPRP Subgrant or Contract Amount Section 2: Program Performance (all variables) 1. Total Persons and Households Served (Homelessness Prevention) 2. Total Persons and Households Served (Homelessness Prevention) by Service provided Housing Outcomes of Persons Served (Leavers Only) Section 3: Financial Information (all variables) Section 6: Homelessness Prevention Targeting Questions 1, 2 Section 7: Data Collection Questions 1, 2, 3
IDIS	Grantee table (grantee IDs, contact information, DUNS, etc.) Grant table (grant amounts, obligation dates, drawn amounts for overall grant) Activity tables (activity names, activity types, project names) Draw transaction table (activity-level draw information)

Appendix B:

Web Survey Instrument

HPRP-Prevention Survey

OMB Approval number:
OMB Expiration date:

This site visit discussion guide has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, under OMB control number xxxx-xxxx, which expires on xx/xx/xxxx. The time to complete this information collection is estimated to be on average 30 minutes, including instructions. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please write to U.S. Department of the Treasury, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, 601 Thirteenth St., NW Washington, DC 20005.

We sent you a letter recently, inviting your participation in an important research study to understand how Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP) grantees and subgrantees use HPRP funds to prevent homelessness in American communities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has contracted with the Urban Institute and Abt Associates to collect and analyze the data.

This survey is completely voluntary and whether or not you decide to participate will not affect your agency’s relationship with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. We keep all your information and answers private – your name will never be associated with anything you say. We will not identify you in any reports written about this study. You can skip any question that you do not want to answer and you can choose to end the interview at any time. The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. You may also leave the survey and come back to it, if you need to check your files or with someone else for an answer.

If you have any questions about this study, or your rights as a survey participant, please call Julie Pacer at 312-529-9708.

Screener Questions

S1. Please tell me which best describes your organization/agency?

₀₁Government agency with a direct client base that might be at risk of homelessness (e.g., TANF, mental health, child welfare, Veterans Affairs, public housing authority)

₀₂Other government agency (e.g., community/economic/housing development, governor or mayor’s office

₀₃Nonprofit organization human service provider

₀₄Religious institution or faith-based nonprofit

₀₅Legal aid agency

₉₅Other?

S2. Please tell me which best describes your role in the organization/agency?

₀₁Executive Director

₀₂Development Manager/Director

₀₃Program Manager

₀₄Case Manager

₀₅HMIS or Data Manager

₉₅Other ______________________________________

S3. This survey is for organizations and agencies that distribute or use HPRP funds for homelessness prevention. Does your organization or agency distribute or use HPRP funds for homelessness prevention activities?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [END]

₉₇Not sure

S4. Does your organization receive HPRP funds directly from HUD for homelessness prevention activities; that is, are you an HPRP grantee?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No

₉₇Not sure

S5. Does your agency/organization receive HPRP funds for homelessness prevention activities from another HPRP grantee; that is, are you an HPRP subgrantee?

(Note to Interviewer: Respondent can be both a grantee and a subgrantee)

₀₁Yes

₀₂No

₉₇Not sure

S6. Does your agency/organization subgrant funds to another organization?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No

₉₇Not sure

S7. Does your agency/organization directly provide HPRP-funded homelessness prevention assistance to households? That is, are you a direct service provider?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No

₉₇Not sure

Please tell me the issues that you feel knowledgeable talking about.

S8. How much do you feel you know about community level decisions on how the HPRP-prevention program was designed in your community?

₀₁A lot

₀₂Some

₀₃A little

₀₄None

₉₇Not sure

S9. How much do you feel you know about prevention services provided at the program level in your community/state to households using the HPRP funds?

₀₁A lot

₀₂Some

₀₃A little

₀₄None

₉₇Not sure

[IF S7=1 OR S9=1 THEN ASK DIRECT SERVICE PROVIDER QUESTIONS (QUESTIONS IN BLUE, LABELED P).

IF S8=1 THEN ASK COMMUNITY PLANNER QUESTIONS (QUESTIONS IN RED, LABELED CP)

QUESTIONS IN BLACK, LABELED A, ARE TO BE ASKED OF ALL RESPODENTS.]

Pre-HPRP Homelessness Prevention Activities

The remainder of this survey asks detailed questions about funding, program design, and prevention activities. Please feel free to consult with others in your organization as necessary to provide accurate answers.

CP1. Did your [community/state] provide homelessness prevention assistance before HPRP funding became available?

₀₁Yes, FEMA/EFSG services only

₀₂Yes, something other than FEMA/EFSG services

₀₃Yes, both FEMA/EFSG services and other types of services

₀₄No [SKIP to QCP2]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QCP2]

CP1a. How similar are the households your [community/state] is now serving with HPRP prevention to households your community served with homeless prevention services before HPRP?

₀₁HPRP households are identical or very similar

₀₂HPRP households are somewhat similar

₀₃HPRP households are not at all similar

₉₇Not sure

CP1b. Did your [community/state] collect any kind of information on those households who sought homelessness prevention assistance?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP TO QCP2 or P1 if screened in as Provider]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QCP2 or QP1 if screened in as Provider]

CP1c. Did your [community/state] use that information to help design your HPRP homelessness prevention activities?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No

₉₇Not sure

P1. Did your [agency/organization] provide homelessness prevention assistance before HPRP funding became available?

₀₁Yes, FEMA/EFSG services only

₀₂Yes, something other than FEMA/EFSG services

₀₃Yes, both FEMA/EFSG services and other types of services

₀₄No [SKIP to QP2]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QP2]

P2. How similar are households you are now serving with HPRP prevention to households that use(d) your [agency’s/organization’s] homeless-specific services before HPRP?

₀₁HPRP households are identical or very similar

₀₂HPRP households are somewhat similar

₀₃HPRP households are not at all similar

₉₇Not sure

P3. Is your [agency/organization] currently involved in a local Continuum of Care?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No

₉₇Not sure

P4. Does your community have a local 10-year plan to end homelessness, or is it in the process of developing one?

₀₁Yes we have one or one in process

₀₂No [SKIP to QA1 or CP2 if also screened as a Community level planner]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QA1 or CP2 if also screened as a Community level planner]

P4a. Have people from your agency been involved with developing or implementing that local 10-year plan?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No

₉₇Not sure

HPRP Funding Allocation

CP2. How was the HPRP grant that your community/state received from HUD distributed across prevention and rapid rehousing when you first received your HPRP grant?

________% was dedicated to prevention

________% was dedicated to rapid rehousing

₉₇Not sure [Skip to QCP3]

CP3. Has your [community/state] changed this distribution since you first received your HPRP grant?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [Skip to QCP5]

₉₇Not sure [Skip to QCP5]

CP3a. What is the distribution now (at the time you are answering this survey)?

________% is dedicated to prevention

________% is dedicated to rapid rehousing

CP4. What were the reasons that your community shifted your HPRP funds allocation? Please select all that apply

₀₁Data collected indicated a needed shift in resources

₀₂Initially misidentified local prevention and rapid re-housing needs

₀₃Shift in priorities between the value of doing prevention versus rapid re-

housing

₀₄Increase in the number of people in emergency shelters

₀₅Decrease in the number of people in emergency shelters

₉₅Other _______________________________________________

₉₇Not sure

CP5. How did your [COMMUNITY/STATE] decide how much of the HPRP funds were allocated to prevention activities and to rapid re-housing activities? Please check all that apply.

₀₁50-50 Split

₀₂Using information collected on the families or individuals who sought homelessness prevention assistance in your [COMMUNITY/STATE] before HPRP

₀₃Prior knowledge of the community’s homeless and at-risk population

₀₄ Input from local homeless service providers

₀₅Prior experience with a particular program design (prevention or rapid re-housing)

₀₆Previously unable to fund a particular program design (prevention or rapid re-housing)

₉₅Other _________________________________________

₉₇ Not Sure

HPRP Eligibility and Targeting

The next set of questions asks about eligibility and targeting for your HPRP prevention activities.

A1. When you received HPRP funds, what criteria did your community/your agency set for a household to be eligible for HPRP prevention assistance, other than those criteria required by HUD? Please select all that apply.

₀₁No additional eligibility criteria beyond those required by HUD

₀₂History of previous homelessness

₀₃Never homeless

₀₄ Recently lost job

₀₅Employed or clearly employable

₀₆High likelihood of self-sufficiency within 3 months

₀₇No prior evictions

₀₈No criminal history

₀₉Imminent foreclosure or eviction notice

₁₀Disabilities

₁₁No significant disabilities

₁₂Cooperation with activities to promote self-sufficiency

₁₃Minimum income amount

₁₄Maximum income amount

₉₅Other (please specify) ______________________________________________

P5. What does your [agency/organization] require of HPRP prevention households in order for them to receive assistance? Please select all that apply

₀₁Engage with case management

₀₂Participate in financial counseling, financial management/literacy, budgeting

₀₃Actively look for work (if not working already)

₀₄Pay a share of the rent on any housing they get with HPRP prevention funds

₀₅Other

₀₆ There are no requirements to receive assistance

₉₇Not sure

A2. Has your community/your agency made changes to your eligibility criteria since you received HPRP funding?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QA3]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QA3]

A2a. Would you say that the criteria your community/your agency uses now….[Please select from responses below]

₀₁Qualify families or individuals who have more intensive housing and

service needs than initially set

₀₂Qualify families or individuals who have less intensive housing and service

needs than initially set

₀₃Other (please specify) ________________________________________

₉₇Not sure

A3. HUD requires that a household’s income be less than 50 percent of area median income (AMI) to qualify for HPRP prevention assistance. Has your community or your agency set a lower income limit?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QA4]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QA4]

A4a. If yes, what is the maximum income a household may have and still receive HPRP homelessness prevention assistance?

_____ % of AMI

_or

_____ % of Poverty Line

Specified dollar amount: $________________________________

₉₅Other ______________

₉₇ Not sure

A4. When you initially received HPRP prevention funds, what population(s) did you expect to serve? Please select all that apply.

₀₁Families

₀₂Single adults

₀₃Unaccompanied youth

₀₄Other (please specify) __________________________________________

A5. When you initially received HPRP prevention funds, to which of the following specific population did you plan to target homelessness prevention funds? Please select all that apply.

₀₁Veterans

₀₂Families who are doubled-up

₀₃Individuals who are doubled-up

₀₄Homeless youth

₀₅Youth aging out of foster care

₀₆People leaving institutional settings (prison, jail, mental health treatment, and substance abuse treatment)

₀₇Families or individuals leaving transitional housing without permanent housing

₀₈ Families or individuals living in public or subsidized housing that are at risk of losing their housing

₀₉Families or individuals living in a geographic area particularly hard-hit by unemployment

₁₀Families or individuals living in a geographic area particularly hard-hit by foreclosures

₁₁Families or individuals living in a geographic area known for having a high number of households that enter emergency shelter

₁₂Other (please specify) __________________________________________

₁₃None of these

A6. Have you made changes to the target populations since you received HPRP prevention funding?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [Skip to QA7]

₉₇Not sure [Skip to QA7]

A6a. Which of the following populations do you now target with HPRP prevention funds?

₀₁Veterans

₀₂Families who are doubled-up

₀₃Individuals who are doubled-up

₀₄Homeless youth

₀₅Youth aging out of foster care

₀₆People leaving institutional settings (prison, jail, mental health treatment, and substance abuse treatment)

₀₇Families or individuals leaving transitional housing without permanent housing

₀₈ Families or individuals living in public or subsidized housing that are at risk of losing their housing

₀₉Families or individuals living in a geographic area particularly hard-hit by unemployment

₁₀Families or individuals living in a geographic area particularly hard-hit by foreclosures

₁₁Families or individuals living in a geographic area known for having a high number of households that enter emergency shelter

₁₂Other (please specify) __________________________________________

₁₃None

A7. Does your [AGENCY/COMMUNITY/STATE] conduct outreach to identify households in need of homelessness prevention?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No

₉₇Not sure

Intake for HPRP Activities

The next set of questions asks about intake for HPRP homelessness prevention activities.

CP6. How do households in your community find their way to HPRP homelessness prevention assistance? Please select all that apply.

₀₁Community helpline (e.g., 211 line)

₀₂One provider or agency provides central intake

₀₃ Multi-site, coordinated entry procedures

₀₄Multi-site, with different procedures at each site

₀₅People are referred by local agencies or organizations

₉₅Other (Please specify) _______________________________________

₉₇Not sure

CP7. Does your [community/state] use screening or assessment tool(s) as part of the intake process?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [GO TO P6 OR A8]

₉₇Not sure [GO TO P6 OR A8]

CP8. In your [community/state] is there an agreed-upon, single, standard screening tool used across HPRP grantees/subgrantees to determine eligibility for HPRP prevention assistance?

₀₁Yes, we have a single standard screening tool that everyone uses

₀₂No, we do not have a single standard screening tool, but all agencies

must collect the information to answer a standard set of questions

₀₃No, we do not have a single standard screening tool and there is no

uniformity in what information each agency collects during screening

₀₄Ours is the only HPRP-prevention program in the community/state

₉₇Not sure

CP9. In your [COMMUNITY/STATE] is there an agreed-upon, single, standard assessment tool used across HPRP grantees/subgrantees, to learn more about a household’s needs?

₀₁Yes, we have agreed to a single standard assessment tool

₀₂No, we do not have a single standard assessment tool, but all agencies

must collect the information to answer a standard set of questions

₀₃No, we do not have a single standard assessment tool and there is no

uniformity in what information each agency collects during assessment

₀₄Ours is the only HPRP-prevention program in the community/state

₉₇Not sure (SKIP TO P6 or A8)

CP10. Are these assessment tool(s) used to determine what HPRP prevention assistance a household will get?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No

₉₇Not sure

P6. How do people find their way to your agency for HPRP homelessness prevention services? Please select all that apply

₀₁Community helpline (e.g., 211 line)

₀₂One provider or agency provides central intake

₀₃ Multi-site, coordinated entry procedures

₀₄Multi-site, with different procedures at each site

₀₅People are referred to our agency directly by local agencies or organizations

₉₅Other (Please specify) _______________________________________

₉₇Not sure

P7. Once households contact your agency for HPRP homelessness prevention assistance, what type of screening or assessment do you do to decide if you will serve them? Please select all that apply.

₀₁We do a quick pre-screening over the phone to assess probable eligibility

₀₂We do a short in-person screening to assess probable eligibility

₀₃ We do a thorough assessment for everyone

₀₄We do a thorough assessment for those who screen in as probably eligible

₀₅We give some HPRP prevention assistance to everyone we determine to be eligible

₀₆We do not serve everyone who is eligible; we apply additional criteria to decide which households we will actually serve with HPRP prevention assistance

₉₅Other (Please specify) _______________________________________

₉₇Not sure

P8. Does your agency use a specific tool for pre-screening or screening?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QP9]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QP9]

P8a. Is this screening tool a standard one, that every provider of HPRP direct services is required to use to determine eligibility for HPRP homelessness prevention services?

₀₁Yes, we use a single standard screening tool

₀₂No, we do not use a single standard screening tool, but we must collect

the information to answer a standard set of questions

₀₃No, we do not use a single standard screening tool and there is no

uniformity in what information each agency collects during screening

₉₇Not sure

P9. Does your agency use a specific tool for assessment, to determine a household's eligibility or to learn about a household’s needs?

₀₁Yes, assessment tool for eligibility only

₀₁Yes, assessment tool to determine household needs only

₀₁Yes, assessment tool for both eligibility and to determine household needs

₀₂No [SKIP to QP10]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QP10]

P9a. Is this assessment tool a standard one, that every provider of HPRP direct services is required to use to determine final eligibility and assess client needs?

₀₁Yes, we use a single standard assessment tool

₀₂No, we do not use a single standard assessment tool, but we must collect

the information to answer a standard set of questions

₀₃No, we do not use a single standard assessment tool and there is no

uniformity in what information each agency collects during assessment

₀₄There are no other HPRP-prevention programs in the community/state

₉₇Not sure

P9b. Would you be willing to share your screening and/or assessment tool(s) with us? Instructions for sharing will be provided at the end of the survey.

₀₁Yes [Pop-up email with attachment?]

₀₂No

P10. Among households that receive a full assessment from your agency/organization for HPRP homelessness prevention assistance, about what percentage actually receives HPRP prevention assistance (either financial or services)?

______%

97 Not sure

[SKIP P11 IS P10=100%]

P11. For those who do not receive HPRP homelessness prevention services, what are the reasons they do not receive services? Please select all that apply.

₀₁Found likely to be ineligible based on minimal screening

₀₂Found ineligible based on full assessment

₀₃Found eligible for HPRP, but do not meet additional criteria our agency uses

₀₄Found eligible, but do not show up for services or agency is unable to contact the household

₀₅ Needs more intensive supports than what can be done with HPRP

₀₆Living outside the jurisdiction served by this agency

₉₅Other (please specify) _______________________

₉₇Not sure

P12. What is the most common reason why applicants do not receive HPRP homelessness prevention services?

[LIST RESPONSES SELECTED IN QP11. IF ONLY ONE RESPONSE SELECTED IN QP11, AUTOPUNCH AND GO TO QA8]

₀₁Found likely to be ineligible based on minimal screening

₀₂Found ineligible based on full assessment

₀₃Found eligible for HPRP, but do not meet additional criteria our agency uses

₀₄Found eligible, but does not show up for services or agency is unable to contact the household

₀₅ Needs more intensive supports than what can be done with HPRP.

₀₆ Living outside the jurisdiction served by this agency

₉₅Other (please specify) _______________________

₉₇Not sure

Mainstream Agency Collaboration

The following questions ask about whether you collaborate with other agencies on HPRP-prevention. Please select “Yes” if you work with these agencies and “No” if you do not work with these agencies.

A8. Does your [Agency/Community/State] work with an agency administering TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) to identify clients who need and might be eligible for HPRP prevention assistance?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QA9]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QA9]

A8a. In what way do you work with this agency?

₀₁TANF refers potentially eligible clients to your program for prevention assistance

₀₂You refer clients seeking prevention assistance who qualify for TANF to program

representatives to apply for benefits

₀₃Both

₉₇Not sure

A9. Does your [Agency/Community/State] work with your [community/state] Child Welfare Department to identify clients who need and might be eligible for HPRP prevention assistance??

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QA10]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QA10]

P9a. In what way do you work with this agency?

₀₁Child Welfare refers potentially eligible clients to your program for prevention assistance

₀₂You refer clients seeking prevention assistance and who need Child Welfare services to the Child Welfare Department.

₀₃Both

₉₇Not sure

A10. Does your [Agency/Community/State] work with your [community/state] Mental Health Agencies to identify clients who need and might be eligible for HPRP prevention assistance?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QA11]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QA11]

A10a. In what way do you work with this agency?

₀₁Mental Health agencies refer potentially eligible clients to your program for prevention assistance

₀₂You refer clients seeking prevention assistance and who need Mental Health services to a Mental Health agency.

₀₃Both

₉₇Not sure

A11. Does your [Agency/Community/State] work with your [community/state] Corrections Facilities (jails, prisons) to identify clients who need and might be eligible for HPRP prevention assistance?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QA12]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QA12]

A11a. In what way do you work with this agency?

₀₁ Corrections facilities refer potentially eligible clients to your program for prevention assistance

₀₂ You identify potentially eligible clients through in reach prior to the individual

leaving the corrections facility

₀₃Both

₉₇Not sure

A12. Does your [Agency/Community/State] work with your [community/state] to collaborate with the local school McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program (EHCY) to identify clients who need and might be eligible for HPRP prevention assistance?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QA13]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QA13]

A12a. In what way do you work with this agency?

₀₁ Schools refer potentially eligible clients to your program for prevention assistance

₀₂ Other _________________

₉₇Not sure

A13. Does your [Agency/Community/State] work with your [community/state] to collaborate with a Public Housing Authority (PHA) to identify clients who need and might be eligible for HPRP prevention assistance?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QA14]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QA14]

A13a. In what way do you work with this agency?

₀₁PHA refers potentially eligible clients to your program for prevention

assistance

₀₂You refer clients seeking prevention assistance who qualify for Housing Choice

Vouchers, public housing, or a similar housing subsidy.

₀₃Both

₉₇Not sure

A14. Does your [Agency/Community/State] work with your [community/state] to collaborate with a Veteran Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) to identify clients who need and might be eligible for HPRP prevention assistance?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to P13 or CP11]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to P13 or CP11]

A14a. In what way do you work with this agency?

[Please check all that apply]

₀₁ VAMC refers potentially eligible clients to your program for prevention assistance

₀₂You refer clients seeking prevention assistance who qualify for HUD-VASH

₀₃ You refer clients seeking prevention assistance who qualify for VA health or income benefits

₀₄ You refer clients seeking prevention assistance who qualify for other VA services

₉₇Not sure

Prevention Activities

P13. What HPRP homelessness prevention assistance does your agency offer? Please select all that apply.

₀₁Outreach and Engagement

₀₂Security and utility deposits or payments

₀₃Moving cost assistance

₀₄Motel or hotel vouchers

₀₅Back payment of rent

₀₆Back payment of utility bills

₀₇Ongoing rental assistance

₀₈Housing search and placement

₀₉Legal services

₁₀Credit repair

₁₁Landlord-tenant mediation

₁₂Ongoing case management assistance

₁₃ Referrals to community-based services

₉₅Other (please specify) _______________________

P14. Do HPRP homelessness prevention clients receive financial assistance for help paying the rent or for back payments for rent arrears?

₀₁Yes, all clients receive financial assistance

₀₂Yes, some clients receive financial assistance

₀₃No, no clients receive financial assistance [SKIP TO QP20]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP TO QP20]

P15. How is the financial assistance structured? Clients receive....

Please select all that apply.

₀₁One time payments for rental arrears/past rent

₀₂Income based subsidy (resident contributes set percent of their income towards rent)

₀₃Fixed or flat rate subsidy (e.g., flat amount per month or based on bedroom size)

₀₄Graduated or declining subsidy (based on steps)

₀₅Bridge subsidy (temporary assistance until client receives permanent subsidy)

₉₅Other (please specify) _______________________

P16. Do clients who receive ongoing rental assistance pay a share of the rent?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No

₉₇Not sure

P17. How long are clients eligible to receive rental assistance? Please select all that apply.

₀₁3 months or less

₀₂3-6 months

₀₃6-12 months

₀₄More than 12 months

₉₇Not sure

P17a. How long do most clients receive rental assistance?

[LIST RESPONSES SELECTED IN QP17. IF ONLY ONE RESPONSE SELECTED IN QP17, AUTOPUNCH AND GO TO QP17b]

₀₁3 months or less

₀₂3-6 months

₀₃6-12 months

₀₄More than 12 months

₉₇Not sure

P17b. How is the duration of rental assistance determined? Please select all that apply.

₀₁Use an assessment tool

₀₂Use caseworker judgment

₀₃Give all households the same duration of rental assistance

₀₄Use some other method

₀₄Maximum allowed by HUD

P18. The maximum length of time that HUD will allow HPRP prevention recipients to receive assistance is 18 months. Is the maximum duration of rental assistance at your agency lower than the HUD limit?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QP19]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QP19]

P18a. What is the maximum duration of rental assistance that a

participant can receive from your agency?

₀₁Less than 3 months

₀₂3 months to less than 6 months

₀₃6 months to less than 12 months

₀₄12 – 18 months

₀₅Arrears only

₉₇Not sure

P19. Does your agency have a maximum dollar amount of rental assistance that a participant may receive?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [SKIP to QP20]

₉₇Not sure [SKIP to QP20]

P19a. What is the maximum dollar amount of rental assistance that a

participant may receive in your community?

₀₁$1 - $500

₀₂$501 - $1000

₀₃$1001 - $2000

₀₄$2001 - $5000

₀₅>$5000

₉₇Not sure

P20. Does your agency offer case management services to HPRP prevention households or help them link to public benefits and services?

₀₁Yes

₀₂No [Skip to QP22]

₉₇Not sure [Skip to QP22]

P21. How often does your agency meet with HPRP prevention households to provide case management or linkage services? Please check all that apply.

₀₁At HPRP program entry

₀₂At HPRP program exit

₀₃Weekly

₀₄Monthly

₀₅At eligibility redetermination

₉₅ Other (Specify)_______________

₉₇Not sure

P21a.How long do most clients receive case management or linkage services?

₀₁Less than 3 month

₀₂3 months to less than 6 months

₀₃6-12 months

₀₄More than 12 months

₀₄Duration of rental assistance

₀₅ No case management or linkage help is offered

₉₇Not sure

P21b. How do HPRP prevention households receive case management or linkage services? Please select all that apply.

₀₁Home visits

₀₂By telephone

₀₃Office visits

₀₄Other

₉₇Not sure

P22. Once a family or individual’s HPRP prevention assistance ends, does your agency keep in touch, either to continue offering services or just to see how a household is doing?

₀₁Yes, we continue services for all HPRP clients after prevention assistance ends

₀₂Yes, we continue services for some HPRP clients after prevention assistance ends

₀₃Yes, we check up on HPRP clients periodically, but do not systematically offer services

₀₄No, we do not do any follow-up

₉₇Not sure

P23. Among households that receive HPRP prevention assistance from your agency/organization, what percent are not able to avoid homelessness and end up entering a homeless shelter?

______%

97 Not sure

Tracking Outcomes

The next set of questions asks about tracking homelessness prevention activities and using the data for program decisions.

CP11. Does your community/state use data from your HPRP prevention programs for the following purposes? If yes, where do you enter or store the data?

Does your community/state…

CP11a. Enter information from eligibility screeners for households that have been screened in?

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

[If YES:]

CP11a2. Where is this information entered?

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

CP11b. Enter information from assessments for households that are being served

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

[If YES:]

CP11b2. Where is this information entered?

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

CP11c. Enter information from eligibility screeners for households that have been screened out

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

[If YES:]

CP11c2. Where is this information entered?

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

CP11d. Enter information from assessments for households that are not being served

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

[If YES:]

CP11d2. Where is this information entered?

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

CP11e. Generate information for HUD performance reports (QPR or APR)

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

[If YES:]

CP11e2. From where is this information generated?

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

CP11f. Track what happens to households that receive HPRP-prevention services after they leave the program to see if they enter a homeless shelter after receiving prevention assistance

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

[If YES:]

CP11f2. Where is this information tracked?

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

CP11g. Examine how the HPRP-prevention program affects the number of people in shelter

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

[If YES:]

CP11g2.?

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

CP11h. Understand how much HPRP-prevention programs cost

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

CP11i. Use data to make mid-course corrections in your HPRP program

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

CP11j. Use data to track key performance measures

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

CP11k. Use data to evaluate staff outcomes

₀₁Yes

₀₂NoNo

₉₇Not SureNot sure

HMIS

Other Client-level Data Base

Other

Changes in Capacity and Systems Change

CP12. Did HPRP-prevention help your community/state to…?

CP12a. Serve more people at risk of homelessness	YYes	NNo	NNot Sure
CP12b. Develop a stronger screener or risk assessment tool	YYes	NNo	NNot Sure
CP12c. Develop a coordinated or central intake system	YYes	NNo	NNot Sure
CP12d. Collect and manage data on prevention	YYes	NNo	NNot Sure
CP12e. Better identify households/persons at highest risk of homelessness	YYes	NNo	NNot Sure
CP12f. Collaborate with mainstream service agencies (such as TANF and child welfare) on homelessness prevention	YYes	NNo	NNot Sure
CP12g. Collaborate with community-based nonprofits on homelessness prevention	YYes	NNo	NNot Sure
CP12h. Become more involved in a 10-year plan to end homelessness	YYes	NNo	NNot Sure
CP12i. Become more involved with Continuum of Care	YYes	NNo	NNot Sure

A15. When HPRP funding ends, how likely is it that your [community/state] will continue to fund homelessness prevention assistance, through its Emergency Shelter Grant funding or with other funding?

₀₁Very likely

₀₂Somewhat likely

₀₃Somewhat unlikely

₀₄Very unlikely

₉₇Not sure

A16. How likely is it that your agency will continue homelessness prevention efforts begun under HPRP after the grant funds are expended?

₀₁Very likely

₀₂Somewhat likely

₀₃Somewhat unlikely

₀₄Very unlikely

Thank you for responding to this survey. If you have any questions about this study, or your rights as a survey participant, please call Julie Pacer at Abt SRBI at 312-529-9708.

Appendix C:

Site Visit Interview Guide

OMB Approval Number:

OMB Expiration Date:

This site visit discussion guide has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, under OMB control number xxxx-xxxx, which expires on xx/xx/xxxx. The time to complete this information collection is estimated to be on average 45 minutes (ranging from 30 minutes to an hour). If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please write to U.S. Department of the Treasury, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, 601 Thirteenth St., NW Washington, DC 20005.

HPRP Prevention Assessment
Site Visit Discussion Guide

INTERVIEW INTRODUCTION

Hi. My name is _______________________, and I am part of a team of researchers from the Urban Institute, Abt Associates, and the Cloudburst Group that is working on a study for HUD of prevention activities being conducted under the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing (HPRP) program. We are visiting several communities that are doing interesting things with their HPRP prevention funds because we want to learn firsthand how communities are tackling the challenges of preventing homelessness. We are interested in many issues with respect to the use of HPRP funds for prevention. We assume that some will be more relevant to your own experience than others. Therefore, to understand your involvement in HPRP prevention programs, let me first start by asking questions about you and the agency where you work. Then, so I ask you the right questions, I’ll ask you about the issues you feel knowledgeable talking about.

What is your agency’s role with respect to HPRP prevention?

□ HPRP Grantee

Did your agency get the HPRP money directly from HUD? □ Yes □ No

If no, which office/department/agency did get the money from HUD and then designated your agency as the HPRP grantee/administrator (e.g., mayor, governor, etc.)? _________________________________)

Do you directly provide HPRP-funded prevention services? □ Yes □ No

□ HPRP Subgrantee

____________________________________________________________________

□ Other

Continuum of Care Role in HPRP PREVENTION: ______________

HMIS Administering Agency Role in HPRP PREVENTION: ______________

Mainstream Agency Role in HPRP PREVENTION: _____________

Community based nonprofit Role in HPRP PREVENTION: _____________

Understanding Respondent’s Role in HPRP prevention

Please tell me about your agency.

What type of agency are you?

Emergency shelter
Central intake agency for homeless system
Other homeless system agency
Central referral agency for many issues (e.g., 211)
Community action/anti-poverty agency
Government agency (e.g., welfare, community services)

Name: _________________

Other: _______________

What geographic area does your agency serve?
Does your agency provide direct services to homeless populations? Other populations?
Where does your agency fit in the community?

Is your agency part of the Continuum of Care?
Is your agency part of a local ten year planning effort to end homelessness?
Is your agency part of a network of community action or anti-poverty agencies?
Is your agency part of the government?

Does your agency report data into HMIS?

For HPRP prevention?
For anything else?

Please tell me about your role at the agency.

What is your role at [NAME OF AGENCY]?
How long have you been in this role?
How long have you been at [NAME OF AGENCY]?

U
Note to interviewer: Check all that apply and then check appropriate pages of protocol to indicate you should ask the questions in relevant sections

nderstanding the Respondent’s Knowledge
Please tell me the issues that you know and feel comfortable talking about. I will also ask you if you know about how things work and how decisions are made in your community as a whole, and what you know about your specific agency and its programs. This will help me understand what type of questions to ask you.

□ Previous homelessness prevention programs in [NAME OF COMMUNITY]