Head of Household Family Interview Advance Letter Evaluation of the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration

ATTACHMENT I: Head of Household Family Interview Advance Letter

Evaluation of the Community Choice Demonstration

[Date]

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Street Address]
[City], [State] [Zip]

Dear <First Name><Middle Initial><Last Name>,

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Community Choice Demonstration study. The study is being funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Researchers from Abt Associates and the Urban Institute are helping HUD with this study.

When you applied to enroll in the [MOBILITY PROGRAM] study in [RA MONTHYEAR], you signed a consent form. The consent form explained that researchers may want to conduct future interviews with you. These interviews will help HUD and researchers understand your experiences with the program and learn how the [MOBILITY PROGRAM] is working. We are interested in the experiences of everyone who enrolled in the study, even if you did not receive the special services to help you move to a different neighborhood.

We are writing to let you know that we are getting ready to conduct interviews with some families who participate in the [MOBILITY PROGRAM]. Researchers plan on visiting [NAME OF CITY] between [DATE RANGE]. A researcher from [Abt Associates/the Urban Institute] will call or email you to invite you to take part in an interview

Topics in the interview will include:

• Your experiences searching for housing

• Your feelings about your new housing unit and neighborhood (if you have moved)

If you were selected to enroll in the [MOBILITY PROGRAM], we will talk in the interview about your experiences with the [MOBILITY PROGRAM], including:

• The services you may have received as part of the [MOBILITY PROGRAM],

• Your thoughts about the [MOBILITY PROGRAM] overall

If you choose to participate, this 90-minute interview will be in person, at a time and location convenient for you. You will receive a gift card worth $40 whether or not you answer all of the questions.

Your participation is voluntary. Your decision to participate in the interview will not affect your current or future receipt of housing assistance or other benefits. You can choose not to answer questions. You can choose to end the conversation at any time. Your responses will be kept private with one exception: the researcher may be required by law to report a suspicion of physical or emotional harm to yourself or to others.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule your interview, please contact [NAME] by phone at 1-xxx-xxx-xxxx or by email at [email protected]. If you would like to see this letter translated or to complete this interview in a language other than English, please let us know and we will try to accommodate you. If you need information to be presented in an accessible format, for example, Braille, audio, large type, or sign language interpreters, or a reasonable accommodation (a change or adjustment) so that you can participate, please let us know.

On behalf of the research team, we look forward to talking with you soon.

Sincerely,

Diane Levy

Community Choice Demonstration Study Researcher

The Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Statement: This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to evaluate the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Choice Demonstration. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per review. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is XXXX-XXXX and it expires XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to NAME at [email protected] or call XXX-XXX-XXXX; Attn: OMB-PRA (xxxx-xxxx).

This research is conducted under the authority of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to undertake programs of research, studies, testing and demonstration related to the mission and programs of HUD (12 USC 1701z-1 et seq.).