Waitlist - 01 - Participant Outreach - Resident and Housing Provider Focus Groups - FINAL

Waitlist Data Management & Burden Improvement

Participant Outreach – Resident and Housing
Provider Focus Groups

Waitlist Data Management & Burden Improvement 

Participant Outreach Templates – Resident and Housing Provider Focus Groups

Below are sample emails that will be sent to HUD partners (e.g., PHAs, PBCAs) to help them recruit residents and housing providers to participate in focus groups for this project.

INITIAL OUTREACH TO PARTNERS

FOCUS GROUPS: HUD Outreach to PHAs/PBCAs to identify housing provider and resident participants (Part 1)

Subject: Help HUD find research participants – rethinking housing waitlist data management and administration to improve customer experience

Hello [Name],

My name is [name] and I work in HUD’s [office or division]. I am reaching out to you because your organization is an important partner to HUD. We are seeking your support to identify and recruit individuals who can participate in a customer research study as we 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.

As part of this effort, we aim to gain insight into people’s current experience finding housing through waitlists. We hope to speak directly to people with related experience. I am reaching out to request your help connecting with individuals who meet the criteria below and would be willing to participate in a 1.5-hour focus group.

1. We are looking to find a variety of housing providers:

• In rural, urban, and suburban communities

• Across HUD’s housing programs (e.g., housing choice voucher, public housing, multifamily housing)

• REQUEST 1: Can you provide us with 2-3 housing providers who manage waitlists and their business email? We will reach out to them to invite them to participate if they are interested.

2. We are looking for housing residents or individuals with a variety of experiences:

• Finding housing in rural, urban, and suburban communities

• Have been, or are actively on, a housing waitlist

• Different household sizes (e.g., 1 person, 2–3-person, 4+ person)

• Those who have formerly experienced homelessness

• Those who need reasonable accommodations and/or modifications.

• REQUEST 2: If you are willing to help us in this recruiting effort or would like additional details, please let us know and we will send you further guidance.

Please don’t hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns you have about this research. We look forward to working with 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].

FOCUS GROUPS: HUD Outreach to PHAs/PBCAs to identify housing providers and residents (Part 2)

Subject: Re: Help HUD find research participants – rethinking housing waitlist data management and administration to improve customer experience

Hello [Name],

Thank you for helping us to connect with participants for our research effort.

We hope to keep this process as simple as possible. Please use content provided in this message to reach out to your community.

1. Use the email language included in this message as a template you can send to potential participants (you can send this directly to individuals or via appropriate listservs)

2. (If you feel comfortable doing so) use the social media post language and graphics included in this message to post on your organization’s Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter pages. (We have attached images to include with the post.)

3. When sending emails or creating social media posts, please make sure the hyperlink to the Screener form is working

After potential participants click on the link and fill out a short screening form, we will take it from there and notify them if they qualify. Someone from our team will reach out to them to schedule a virtual 1.5-hour focus group session.

Let us know if you have any questions or require further guidance when reaching out to your community.

EMAIL INVITATIONS

Focus Groups (Housing Providers)

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 interested 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].

Focus Groups (To Residents, From PHAs/PBCAS)

Hello [Name],

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is looking to hold focus groups with members of our community as part of an effort to improve the experience of housing waitlists. HUD is exploring how they 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. To do this, HUD is holding focus group conversations with people with related experience. We hope you will consider sharing your valuable feedback with HUD by joining one of their focus groups.

If you are open to joining a 1.5-hour virtual focus group with HUD’s team, please follow this link and answer a few questions [Insert Forms Link]. If you are eligible to participate, the HUD customer experience team will reach out to you via email.

If you qualify for this study, you will be notified by a HUD representative after submitting the questionnaire.

If you have difficulty accessing the questionnaire, please reply to this email. If you need any accessibility accommodations, please reply to this email stating your needs.

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].

Outreach to participants – social media post

Share your experience with HUD and help us to improve the housing waitlist experience.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is looking to hold focus groups with members of our community as part of an effort to improve the experience of housing waitlists.

If you have previously applied to a housing waitlist and are interested in participating in a 1.5-hour virtual focus group with HUD, please answer a few questions [Insert Forms Link]. If you are eligible to participate, the HUD customer experience team will reach out to you via email.

Calendar/Scheduling

Confirmation Email Template

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

Thank you for your interest in sharing your experiences with HUD. Based on the information you provided, you qualify to participate in our study. 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 [For Partners]

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 few months.

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 an interview 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] 5