response to survey

Study of Public Housing Agency Involvement with Homeless Households

Pre-test debriefing form for the PHA Web Census

PHA Name: Brazos Valley Council of Governments (TX526)

Respondent Name: Judson Brown Title: Program Manager

Overall Comments:

1. Did the advance letter help you prepare the information you needed to complete the survey? Yes

   1. If no, what other information would have helped you better prepare?

2. Overall, would you say that this survey was relatively easy to complete? Yes

   1. Which sections were most challenging?

      1. What could be done to make them easier to complete?

3. Was the estimated time to complete the survey accurate? Yes

   1. If no, which sections took the longest to complete?

      1. What could be done to make them easier to complete?

4. Do you think the survey would be easier or harder to complete on the web?

Easier

5. General comments on the survey:

I liked the survey and I’m excited about the research. I had the most comments in Section F. According to Jill’s Chapter in How to House the Homeless and the opening chapter of the book, moral hazard is one of the biggest challenges and/or risks for a PHA to implement a priority preference for homeless families applying to the HCV Program. This has been our experience. We have found several instances of our applicants staying at the shelter temporarily in order to qualify for our preference and/or providing false information to our partnering service providers in order to qualify. It has been a major issue. To resolve this issue, we had to implement new policies. The moral hazard of applicants self-certifying as homeless is one of the biggest barriers to a PHA implementing a homeless preference.

Section by Section Feedback on the PHA Census

Agency Contact and Program Size Information
How long did it take to complete this section?	____ minutes
Any problems encountered when completing this section?	☐ Yes ☐No If yes, explain:
Section A covers Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based Vouchers
How long did it take to complete this section?	____ minutes
Any problems encountered when completing this section?	☐ Yes ☐No If yes, explain:
General Comments on this section
Section B covers public housing
How long did it take to complete this section?	____ minutes
Any problems encountered when completing this section?	☐ Yes ☐No If yes, explain:
General Comments on this section
Section C covers other programs operated by PHAs
How long did it take to complete this section?	____ minutes
Any problems encountered when completing this section?	☐ Yes ☐No If yes, explain:
General Comments on this section
Section D asks how the PHA identifies newly admitted households as homeless
How long did it take to complete this section?	____ minutes
Any problems encountered when completing this section?	☐ Yes ☐No If yes, explain:
General Comments on this section
Section E asks questions about partnerships between the PHA and community service providers serving homeless people
How long did it take to complete this section?	____ minutes
Any problems encountered when completing this section?	☐ Yes ☐No If yes, explain:
General Comments on this section
Section F asks questions about barriers perceived by the PHA in engaging with homeless households
How long did it take to complete this section?	____ minutes
Any problems encountered when completing this section?	☐ Yes ☐No If yes, explain:
General Comments on this section
Section G is intended for Moving to Work (MTW) Agencies only
How long did it take to complete this section?	____ minutes
Any problems encountered when completing this section?	☐ Yes ☐No If yes, explain:
General Comments on this section