Initial Tenant Letter

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

WASHINGTON, DC 20410-6000

OFFICE OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

Date:

Dear [Tenant Name],

This letter is to inform you that you have been randomly selected to participate in a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) study. The purpose of this study is to learn more about the types of errors that occur when determining tenant eligibility and calculating rent for HUD-assisted housing programs so that areas that need improvement can be identified for HUD. HUD is required to report to Congress the information related to the accuracy of its rent calculations nationwide. This study is funded by HUD and is being carried out by ICF International as an agent of HUD.

As part of this study, you will be interviewed by a field interviewer, [field interviewer name]. This interview is very similar to the annual review conducted by your project office and will take approximately 40-60 minutes. Persons who receive housing assistance from HUD programs are required to participate in this study. Your local housing office has been assisting us in this study and knows that we are contacting you.

We would like to schedule an interview with you to be conducted at your home at this date and time:

Date:

[Day and Date]

Time

[Time]

Please call the field interviewer listed below to confirm this appointment or to schedule another time or location. When calling, please give your full name, telephone number (including area code) and the ID # listed below. If you have any questions about specific study procedures, you may contact the field supervisor listed below at the toll free number provided.

Field Interviewer:			Phone #:
Field Supervisor:			Phone #:
Your ID #:	[Cluster/Project/Case]

See the reverse side of this letter for more information about the interview and what you can do to be prepared. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Yves Djoko, Ph.D.

HUD Project Officer

Note: Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance for this study has been obtained, and the OMB clearance number is 2528-0203. All information collected is subject to confidentiality requirements, and may be shared with the staff responsible for your rent determinations. The HUD contract number for this study is GS-23F-9777H (Task Order # DU208WP-13-T-00002).

Getting Ready for Your Interview

During the interview we will be asking you about the rent that was calculated for you by your project office during [QCM]. We will be asking you questions about your household members, your income, any assets you may have had and expenses as they were at that time. As happens in your annual review, we will be asking you to provide documents that verify the items we ask about. Please have these documents on hand as this may reduce the time it takes to complete the interview. The documents that we will request for your income, assets and expenses will be for the time period below.

From

[MM/YYYY]

Through

[MM/YYYY]

During the interview we will be

• asking you about your household members, income, any assets you may have had and expenses as they were at that time

• recording information into a laptop computer from the documents that you provide, so that we might contact the institutions or persons directly to ask for verification

• scanning the documents you provide for income, assets and expenses

Some examples of the kinds of documents that you will be requested to provide for each family member are listed below.

• To verify family members’ date of birth, citizenship status and social security number: Birth certificate, passport, military ID, permanent resident card, Social Security card, Social Security statement

• For adults who are full time students: Letter from school regarding full time student status, other official school form

• For head of household or co-head who is disabled: Letter from the Social Security Administration or physician that shows disability status.

• For savings accounts, checking accounts and other assets: Account statement or letter from bank or financial institution.

• For earned income: Pay stubs, earnings statements

• For other kinds of income: Social Security statements, statements from your unemployment office, statements from official offices for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps), welfare, and official pension and other retirement income statements.

• For child support and alimony: Copies of court documents, copies of checks received.

• Any other kind of income: Statement from agency or person who provided income.

• For medical expenses: Bills for visits to doctor, dentist, or other medical professional, printouts from pharmacies, other documents from the person or organization who provided the service, printouts for medical insurance payments.

Remember to call the field interviewer listed on the front page to confirm the time of your appointment.

Thank you for your cooperation.