Advance letter

Form AHS-26/66(L) (Atlanta)
(xx-xxxx)
Dear Resident:
I am writing to ask for your help with an important survey that the U.S. Census Bureau is conducting called the
American Housing Survey. A Census Bureau field representative will be calling or visiting you to help complete
the survey. He or she will show you an official identification card or provide you with his or her name and
interviewer code to confirm employment with the Census Bureau. The field representative will ask you
questions about your home and household. Some of the items covered include the number of rooms, heating
and cooling equipment, and the cost of housing. We have enclosed a work sheet with this letter. Please
complete it in advance and keep it until the field representative contacts you. It will help you answer some of
the survey questions more easily.
The Census Bureau needs your help to collect accurate data so policymakers can assess the quality of current
government programs and better plan for the future. We chose your address, not you personally, as part of a
scientifically selected sample. Because this is a sample survey, your answers not only represent your home but
thousands of other homes like yours. For this reason, your cooperation in this voluntary survey will provide a
distinct service to our country. You may decline to answer any or all questions, but each item not answered
lessens the quality of our results. We need to interview every home in our sample to get a complete picture of
the housing situation across the country.
We are conducting this survey under the authority of Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 8, and
Title 12, U.S.C., Sections 1701z-1, 1701z-2(g), and 1701z-10a. Title 13, U.S.C., Section 9, requires us to keep all
information about you and your household strictly confidential. We will use this information for statistical
purposes only. Every Census Bureau employee, from the Director to the field representative who conducts the
interview, has taken an oath to abide by this law and is subject to a jail term, a fine, or both, if he or she
discloses any information that could identify you or your household.
We have included answers to the most frequently asked questions about this survey with this letter. If you
would like further information, please contact the Census Bureau by writing or calling the office below, or
visiting our Web site: .
Regional Director
U.S. Census Bureau
101 Marietta St NW STE 3200
Atlanta, GA 30303-2711

Telephone: 1-800-424-6974
E-mail: [email protected]

Thank you for your participation.
Sincerely,
Thomas L. Mesenbourg Jr.
Acting Director
Enclosure
Si desea que la entrevista sea en español, favor de comunicarse a la
Oficina Regional indicada anteriormente.

WHAT IS THIS SURVEY ALL ABOUT?
The American Housing Survey provides up-to-date information on the size and composition of the housing
inventory. As the population increases, so does the demand for housing. There is a great need for information
about the types of homes in which people are now living and the characteristics of these homes, as well as the
costs of running and maintaining them.
Information from the survey helps to measure the changes in our housing supply resulting from losses and new
construction. It measures the structural makeup of the housing and characteristics of the occupants. The
information also helps to evaluate the effects of proposals on tax reform and assistance programs.
HOW WAS I SELECTED FOR THIS SURVEY?
We chose your address, not you personally. The U.S. Census Bureau scientifically selected a sample of addresses
throughout the United States. If you move away, this address will stay in the survey and we will interview the
household that moves here.
IS THIS SURVEY AUTHORIZED BY LAW? WHAT PROTECTION DO I HAVE?
Congress requires the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to collect this information
under the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983 (Title 12 of the U.S.C.). HUD has asked the Census
Bureau to conduct the survey. The Census Bureau has the authority to collect and protect this information
under Title 13 of the U.S.C. Section 8 of this law provides the Census Bureau with the authority to collect the
information. All information that individuals give to the Census Bureau is held in the strictest confidence by law
(Title 13, U.S.C., Section 9). Although there are no penalties for not answering, each missing answer makes the
national figures on housing less accurate. Your answers may be combined with information that you give to
other agencies to enhance the statistical use of these data, but all data will be kept strictly confidential. If you
wish to request that your information not be combined with information from other agencies, we ask that you
notify the field representative at the time of the interview.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
We expect it will take about 45 minutes for you to provide this information, but it may be somewhat shorter or
longer, depending on your circumstances. If you have any comments on this survey or have recommendations
for reducing its length, please send them to the Director, Housing and Demographic Analysis Division, Office of
Policy Development and Research, Office of Economic Affairs, Department of Housing and Urban Development,
Washington, DC 20410. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number for this survey is
2528-0017. This number confirms that we have approval from OMB to conduct this survey. Approval for this
survey expires on XXXX.
I THOUGHT THAT THE CENSUS BUREAU OPERATED ONLY EVERY TEN YEARS WHEN IT COUNTED PEOPLE.
WHAT IS THE CENSUS BUREAU DOING NOW?
Besides the decennial census, which we conduct every ten years, we collect many different kinds of statistics
through other censuses and surveys. We conduct other censuses regularly, including the censuses of business
and manufacturers and the censuses of state and local governments. In addition, we collect data on a monthly
basis to provide current information on such topics as unemployment rates, retail and wholesale trade, various
manufacturing activities, and new housing construction, as well as yearly surveys on business, manufacturing,
governments, family income, health, and education. Some addresses in the American Housing Survey are visited
once every two years. Other addresses in a select group of large metropolitan areas are scheduled to be
interviewed every few years.