Waitlist - 01 - Participant Outreach - Partner Focus Groups - FINAL

Waitlist Data Management & Burden Improvement

Participant Outreach – Partner Focus Groups

Waitlist Data Management & Burden Improvement 

Participant Outreach Templates – Partner Focus Groups

Below are sample emails that will be sent to HUD partners (e.g., state governments & administrators, PHAs, PBCAs) to invite them to participate in focus groups for this project.

EMAIL INVITATIONS

Focus Groups (State govts & administrators, PHAs, PBCAs)

Email Invitation / Request to schedule

Subject: An Invitation to Share your Experiences with HUD

Hello [Name],

My name is [Name] from the office of [office], and I am working with HUD’s Customer Experience team to explore how HUD can support local partners and housing agencies to help improve the experience of individuals and families finding affordable housing through waitlists. To better understand the needs, HUD is starting by talking to a variety of customers including, public housing agencies, housing providers, families, and others. We hope you will consider sharing your valuable feedback with HUD by joining one of our focus groups.

We are reaching out to you because you have direct experience with housing waitlists and we are interested in learning from your expertise.

If you are open to joining a 1.5-hour virtual focus group with our team, please complete this form with your availability [Insert Forms link]. If you aren’t interesting in participating, but you know someone from your office who would be interested, please feel free to send this invite to them.

Depending on the availability you provide, we may follow up with a consent form and a calendar invite with a virtual link. We value your privacy and want to create a space for people to share openly so that we may improve the complaint process. All your personal information will be kept securely and the information you share with us during the conversation will not have your name attached to it.

Please don’t hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns you have about this research. I hope to speak with you soon. 

Thank you,
[Name]

[HUD Signature]

OMB Control Number: 2511-0001

Expiration Date: 09/30/2024

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 5 minutes. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary. If you have comments or concerns regarding this collection, please contact Mac Bailey of HUD’s Customer Experience team at [email protected].

Calendar/Scheduling

Confirmation Email Template

Subject: Re: [CX Team Rep Name] and [Participant name]

Thank you for signing up to share your experiences with HUD. We are looking forward to talking with you soon.

Based on the availability you provided, we have scheduled you for our focus group on [Date] at [Time]. If your availability has changed and you are no longer able to make this time, please let us know by replying to this email.

Before we speak, we ask that you please fill out a Consent Form [Insert Forms link].

• The consent agreement describes your rights as a research participant and tells you more about what to expect during our conversation.

Below are the details to join the conversation:

[Meeting sign in links]

We are looking forward to speaking with you! Please let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

[Name]

If participant is not chosen to participate

Subject: Re: An Invitation to Share your Experiences with HUD 

Hello [Name], 

We want to share our heartfelt thanks for your willingness to participate in a focus group to share your experiences with HUD. 

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make your availability work. If you indicated you would be willing to participate in future feedback sessions, we may reach out to you in the next

All the best, 

[Name] 

Post Interview Thank you

Subject: Thank you for sharing your experience 

Hello [Name], 

We want to share our heartfelt thanks for participating in a focus group and for sharing your experiences with HUD. 

By sharing your experience, we will be able to improve both our understanding of and ability to improve the housing waitlist experience.  

We know it can be difficult to make time to participate and we are deeply grateful for your contribution. 

If you have any questions or concerns, or think of anything else you’d like us to hear about your experience, please do not hesitate to contact me.

All the best, 

[Name] 

HUD Customer Experience | Draft – For discussion Purposes Only [email protected] 3