Final - Part B Supporting Statement for Eviction Protection Grant Program

Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

Evaluation of the Eviction Protection Grant Program

OMB Control # __-__

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

1. Describe (including a numerical estimate) the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection methods to be used. Data on the number of entities (e.g., establishments, State and local government units, households, or persons) in the universe covered by the collection and in the corresponding sample are to be provided in tabular form for the universe as a whole and for each of the strata in the proposed sample. Indicate expected response rates for the collection as a whole. If the collection had been conducted previously, include the actual response rate achieved during the last collection.

2M Research (2M), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is evaluating the Eviction Protection Grant Program. This study is being executed to evaluate the program’s implementation and effectiveness by examining how the program reduces or prevents evictions among participants. We plan to conduct two rounds of data collection. Each round will include semi-structured interviews with staff from 21 grantees and 21 subrecipients (for a total of 42 semi-structured interviews in each round). The interviews will include approximately 126 grantee and subrecipient staff (an average of three staff per interview). Additionally, 2M will facilitate one round of online focus groups with no more than five program participants from each grantee (for a total of 21 focus groups with 105 program participants). The first set of 10 focus groups with participants from grantees funded in FY 2021 will be conducted during the first round of data collection. The second set of 11 focus groups with program participants from grants awarded in FY 2022 will be conducted during the second round of data collection. However, it may be difficult to implement focus groups at every grantee site. To overcome this difficulty, 2M has identified individual online interviews as an alternate approach to capture participant experiences with the program if focus groups are infeasible. We expect to conduct interviews with approximately 42 program participants.

In total, 2M plans to conduct 84 grantee and subrecipient interviews, 21 focus groups with 105 program participants, and 42 online interviews with program participants.

Exhibit A below provides the sample description, expected sample size, and expected response rate for each data collection source.

2M will be responsible for all data collection efforts in this Information Collection Review (ICR). 2M expects to collect the data from three key stakeholders: grantees, subrecipients, and program participants.

Exhibit A | Sampling Plan

Primary Data Collection Source	Sample Description	Potential Respondent Universe	Expected Respondent Sample Size Per Study Year	Expected Response Rate
Semi-Structured Interviews with Grantees/Subrecipients in Round 1	Grantee and Subrecipient program staff	All staff with relevant information about grant implementation and relationships between stakeholders	126 respondents in 42 interviews	100%
Semi-Structured Interviews with Grantees/Subrecipients in Round 2	Grantee and Subrecipient program staff	All staff with relevant information about grant implementation and relationships between stakeholders	126 respondents in 42 interviews	100%
Focus Groups with Program Participants	Eviction Protection Grant Program grantee program participants who have consented to participate in a focus group	All program participants	105 respondents across 21 focus groups (10 focus groups in Round 1 and 11 focus groups in Round 2 of data collection)	50%
Interviews with Program Participants	Eviction Protection Grant Program grantee program participants who have consented to participate in an individual interview	All program participants	42 respondents in 42 interviews across two rounds of data collection (20 interviews in Round 1 and 22 interviews in Round 2 of data collection)	50%

2. Describe the procedures for the collection of information including:

• Statistical methodology for stratification and sample selection,

• Estimation procedure,

• Degree of accuracy needed for the purpose described in the justification,

• Unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures, and

• Any use of periodic (less frequent than annual) data collection cycles to reduce burden.

Below we detail our sampling strategy for the study:

1. Grantees – We plan to conduct 42 interviews with all 21 grantees across the two rounds of data collection. Three staff from each of the 21 grantees will be invited to participate in one interview. 2M will work with each grantee’s point of contact to identify the most relevant staff to answer the study’s research questions in each round of data collection.

2. Subrecipients - We plan to conduct 42 interviews with a sample of 21 subrecipients across the two rounds of data collection. Three staff from each selected subrecipient will be invited to participate in one interview. The number of subrecipients for the 21 grantees range from 0 to 5.

   1. For five grantees with no subrecipients, there will be no subrecipient interview.

   2. For four grantees with one subrecipient, all four subrecipients will be selected.

   3. For 12 grantees with more than one subrecipient, we will interview up to two subrecipients per grantee (depending on the number of available slots such that the total number of subrecipient interviews in each round does not exceed 21). We will purposively identify a sample of 17 subrecipients for these 12 grantees that will be interviewed.

We may interview two or more subrecipients simultaneously in the same interview. The grantee will be consulted to determine whether interviewing more than one subrecipient in the same interview is beneficial and feasible.

3. Program Participants: We plan to collect information from five program participants per grantee who volunteer to participate in the study. 2M will provide grantees with electronic materials advertising the opportunity for interested program participants to contact 2M directly to participate in the focus group on a voluntary basis. Additionally, 2M will provide the grantee point of contact with informed consent forms to be administered to interested program participants. If signed by the program participant, the informed consent form would allow the grantee to share the program participant’s contact information with 2M, ultimately allowing 2M to recruit them for focus groups.

If the number of program participants for any grantee is less than three, we will schedule a 45-minute one-on-one interview with the two individual participants (instead of the 90-minute focus group).

The program participant respondents are limited in number and are not intended to constitute a representative sample of all program participants in the study. However, data collected from the program participants will capture important insights regarding their experience with the program, their perspectives on the services offered, and the usefulness of the program.

The estimation procedure, unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures, and the use of periodic (less frequent than annual) data collection cycles to reduce burden are not applicable to this data collection request.

3. Describe methods to maximize response rates and to deal with issues of non-response. The accuracy and reliability of information collected must be shown to be adequate for intended uses. For collections based on sampling, a special justification must be provided for any collection that will not yield "reliable" data that can be generalized to the universe studied.

Every data collection instrument and question has been carefully scrutinized to make sure they align with the research questions; are needed for the evaluation; and do not duplicate other existing data sources. 2M will also clearly communicate the reason for collecting the data to the respondents and make it as easy as possible for respondents to provide the data.

We plan to maximize response rates by using the following data collection methods.

1. Engaging with grantee and subrecipient staff to complete data collection.

We recognize that the demanding nature of the work of grantees and subrecipients might limit their capacity to participate in the evaluation. We will identify one staff member from each grantee to serve as the point of contact for the duration of the evaluation. We plan to increase response rates by employing strategies to increase engagement among grantee and subrecipient staff. First, we will work with HUD and leverage its relationship with the grantees to recruit grantee and subrecipient staff. Additionally, we will work with grantee and subrecipient staff to schedule interviews based on their availability. Finally, we may also remind grantees that they are required to cooperate fully with any HUD-sponsored research or evaluation as outlined in the Grant Terms and Conditions.

2. Offering program participants who take part in the focus groups or interviews renumeration for their time in the form of a $50 gift card, thereby encouraging participation and helping to offset the cost of participating in the interview.

3. Providing options and scheduling focus groups or interviews to complete data collection with program participants.

It may be difficult to identify program participants for inclusion in the focus groups due to the following three reasons:

1. Attorney-client privilege, which prevents the sharing of participant names and contact information without consent.

2. Limited grantee capacity to recruit and organize focus groups.

3. Program participant hesitancy to participate in focus groups.

We will use the following strategies to increase response rates for focus groups and one-on-one interviews with program participants:

• We will share a flyer that the grantee can display at its physical location or share electronically to engage program participants, who, if interested, can reach out to 2M to volunteer to participate in a focus group or interview. This will reduce burden on grantees to facilitate the recruitment of program participants, especially for those grantees with excessive workloads or staffing shortages.

• If we are unable to recruit program participants through the flyer, we will ask grantees for support in identifying interested participants. 2M will work with grantees to help engage program participants. Grantees can provide the flyer to interested participants requesting them to directly contact 2M. Additionally, we will provide grantees with an informed consent form that can be administered to program participants. If signed by the program participant, the informed consent form would allow the grantee to share the program participant’s contact information with 2M, ultimately allowing 2M to conduct the outreach and recruit them for focus groups. 2M will set up a document for each grantee on SharePoint with access limited to the grantee point of contact and 2M team. Grantees can enter the contact information of participants who provide their consent in this secure document. For participants who agree to participate in focus group discussions and provide their consent for grantees to share their contact information, 2M will contact the participant via email to coordinate a date and time that would be suitable for all participants to join the focus group.

• If program participants express hesitancy in participating in focus groups, we will provide them with alternate options like one-on-one interviewing without being recorded while emphasizing confidentiality (e.g., interviews will be anonymous and names will not be shared in reports). Alternatively, we will request grantees to identify alternate participants who might be interested.

• If the number of program participants recruited for a focus group for any grantee is less than three, and the strategies outlined above are unsuccessful, we will schedule 45-minute one-on-one interviews with up to two individual participants per grantee (instead of the 90-minute focus group).

• 2M will use Microsoft Teams to conduct focus groups and one-on-one interviews virtually. Participants will be provided with an option to call in using a phone number if they do not have access to a computer.

• 2M will work with HUD to provide reasonable accommodations and auxiliary aids and services for persons with disabilities. 2M will work with HUD to provide language assistance services for people with limited English proficiency.

4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken. Testing is encouraged as an effective means of refining collections of information to minimize burden and improve utility. Tests must be approved if they call for answers to identical questions from 10 or more respondents. A proposed test or set of tests may be submitted for approval separately or in combination with the main collection of information.

No pretesting will occur for this data collection. The instruments were reviewed by the expert panel members, including a person with lived experiences. Additionally, 2M will submit the data collection materials to an IRB for approval. We would like to also highlight that the data collection instruments for program participants will be sent to an IRB for review and approval prior to use.

2M will try to reduce respondent burden by reviewing all available information for each grantee and subrecipient (e.g., data from grantee applications, action plans, and quarterly and final reports that are available in the Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting [DRGR] system) before the data collection. 2M will also pre-populate the interview guides with this information to minimize the respondent burden on grantees, subrecipients, and the program participants.

2M’s data collectors who will conduct interviews and focus groups will undertake training with 2M’s qualitative lead to ensure they have subject matter expertise of the program. The training will also ensure they have a deep understanding of the interview guide, focus group protocol, and the knowledge they would need to tailor interviews to individual respondents. This will further reduce the respondent burden.

5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on statistical aspects of the design and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), grantee(s), or other person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.

HUD contracted with 2M Research to conduct the data collection. Dr. Hiren Nisar (Project Manager; 703-214-1211), Dr. Emily Brimsek (Qualitative Lead; 817-856-0867), and Dr. Arpita Chakravorty (Quantitative Analysis Lead; 817-856-0902) developed the statistical aspects of the design. HUD’s Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), Jeffrey Chen, reviewed the statistical aspects of the design and had them reviewed by other subject matter experts at HUD. Anne Fletcher (202-236-1484) is the COR’s supervisor. If there are any questions about this submission, please call either the HUD COR, Jeffrey Chen (212-542-7422), or the 2M Project Manager, Dr. Hiren Nisar (703-214-1211). HUD welcomes and is prepared to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as individuals with speech or communication disabilities. To learn more about how to make an accessible telephone call, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs.

2M has also convened a panel of experts that will guide us through the duration of the project; these experts have also provided input on the research design and data collection instruments. The panel will also provide feedback on the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data and research reports.

2M will collect and analyze information on behalf of HUD. Dr. Emily Brimsek will lead the qualitative analysis. Dr. Arpita Chakravorty will lead the quantitative analysis.