Family Options Study:
Long-Term Follow-up Evaluation
Reinstatement with change of a previously approved collection
No
Regular
02/16/2022
Requested
Previously Approved
36 Months From Approved
5,754
0
841
0
0
0
The U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) has invested considerable resources into
strategies to address family homelessness. Senate Report 109-109
for the FY 2006 Transportation, Treasury, Judiciary, HUD, and
Related Agencies Appropriations bill directed the Department to
focus its energies on families who experience homelessness and to
“undertake research to ascertain the impact of various service and
housing interventions in ending homelessness for families.” In
2008, HUD launched the Family Options Study, a multi-site
experiment designed to test the impacts of different housing and
service interventions on families who experience homelessness, in
five key domains: housing stability, family preservation, adult
well-being, child well-being, and self-sufficiency. The study,
conducted by Abt Associates and its partner Vanderbilt University,
compared the effect of three active interventions—long-term housing
subsidy, community-based rapid re-housing, and project-based
transitional housing—to one another and to the usual care available
in the study communities. From September 2010 through January 2012,
2,282 families (with 5,397 children) across 12 communities enrolled
in the Family Options Study after spending at least 7 days in
emergency shelter. At the time of enrollment families provided
their consent to participate in the study and completed a baseline
survey (OMB #2528-0259, Expiration Date: 05/31/2013). The study
randomized these 2,282 families to one of four interventions
distinguished by the type and duration of housing assistance and
supportive services. The research team tracked the families for
over three years and administered two separate follow-up surveys to
families during that time period under the same OMB control number;
a 20-month followup survey (OMB #2528-0259, Expiration Date:
3/31/2015) and a 37-month followup survey (OMB #2528-0259,
Expiration Date: 3/31/2017).
US Code:
12
USC 1701z-1 Name of Law: Research and Demonstrations
Both the design and the scale
of the study provided a strong basis for conclusions about the
relative impacts of the interventions over time, and the outcomes
measured during the followup data collection yielded powerful
evidence regarding the positive impact of providing a
non-time-limited housing subsidy to a family experiencing
homelessness. It is possible, though, that some effects of the
various interventions might change over time or take longer to
emerge, particularly for child well-being. In 2017, several years
after the 37-month data collection had been completed, HUD launched
a tracking effort to re-establish contact with the study sample,
update the contact information for all participants, collect
additional information on key outcomes of interest, and,
ultimately, assess the feasibility of future research efforts (OMB
#2528-0259, Expiration Date: 8/31/2020). The success of that
tracking effort motivated HUD to pursue a new wave of primary data
collection with the study families approximately 12 years after
random assignment.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Final - Family Options Study_Appendix C.docx
Family Options Study_Appendix D.pdf
Information Release Form