7-day FRN

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7040-N-XX]

Notice of Proposed Information Collection to OMB:

Emergency Comment Request on a New Data Collection for Emergency Housing Vouchers and Housing Stability Vouchers

AGENCY: Public and Indian Housing.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information collection.

SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for emergency review and approval, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the Emergency Housing Vouchers and Housing Stability Vouchers Data Collection for the Office of Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program.

DATES: Comments Due Date: [Insert Date 7 Days after the date of publication.]

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding this proposal. Comments must be received within 7 days from the date of this Notice. Comments should refer to Housing Stability Vouchers (HSV) by name and should be sent to: Colette Pollard, Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Room 4176, Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone 202-402-3400 (this is not a toll-free number) or email at [email protected]. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colette Pollard, Reports Management Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410; e-mail Colette Pollard at Colette.[email protected] or telephone 202-402-3400. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. This is not a toll-free number. Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from Ms. Pollard.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Notice informs the public that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has submitted to OMB, for emergency processing, a proposed information collection request (ICR) as described below.

A. Overview of Information Collection

Title of Information Collection: Emergency Housing Voucher and Housing Stability Voucher Data Collection.

OMB Approval Number: 2577-New.

Type of Request: Emergency New Collection Request.

Form Numbers: To be assigned by HUD.

Description of the need for the information and proposed use:

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program was recently appropriated $43,439,000 for a new homeless voucher program in the Fiscal Year 2021 appropriation and $5,000,000,000 for Emergency Housing Vouchers in the American Rescue Plan of 2021. For both of these new voucher types it is necessary to have the ability to monitor and track the expenses and lease-up of these new vouchers to ensure utilization and appropriate program oversight. Without this data collection it will be impossible to recapture and reallocate unused vouchers per congressional mandate.

Overall, the Housing Choice Voucher program has the need to collect leasing and expenditure data from Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) on a monthly basis to determine utilization for these vouchers as well as apply cash management principles for funds accounting. Further, HUD needs to collect this leasing and expenditure information in an expedited manner to ensure that HUD can follow the congressional directive to “revoke and redistribute any unleased vouchers and associated funds, including administrative costs to other public housing agencies.”

As a byproduct of the COVID-19 National Emergency, the American Rescue Plan of 2021 was enacted on March 11, 2021. The American Rescue Plan mandates that the Emergency Housing Vouchers must be allocated to the PHAs within 60 days of enactment. With this infusion of $5,000,000,000 in new vouchers it is essential for HUD to have the ability to collect leasing and expenditure information on these new vouchers to provide transparency and accountability to the American public.

In total, the “Emergency Housing Voucher and Housing Stability Voucher Data Collection” is anticipated to contain 20 fields. This data must be reported to HUD on a monthly basis once vouchers are allocated to the PHAs.

Respondents: Public Housing Authorities receiving voucher awards of Emergency Housing Vouchers and/or Housing Stability Vouchers.

Estimation of Burden Hours:

Information Collection	Number of Respondents	Frequency of Response	Responses Per Annum	Burden Hour Per Response	Annual Burden Hours
Financial Form	700	12	8,400	1	8,400
Total	700	12	8,400	1	8,400

B. Solicitation of Public Comment

This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and affected parties concerning the collection of information described in Section A on the following:

(1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information;

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated collection techniques and permitting electronic submission of responses.

HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in response to these questions.

C. Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35 as amended.

Date: _________________

_______________________________________________

Colette Pollard, Department Reports Management Officer

Office of the Chief Information Officer

Billing Code: XXXX