Landlord Interview Advance Letter Evaluation of the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration

ATTACHMENT L: Landlord 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>,

I am writing to see if you might be willing to participate in an interview that will help us better understand how a local housing program called the [MOBILITY PROGRAM] is working.

The [MOBILITY PROGRAM] is run by the [PHA NAME] and its partners. It is designed to help families with Housing Choice [Section 8] Vouchers (HCV) access housing in higher-opportunity, lower-poverty neighborhoods. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has funded an evaluation of the [MOBILITY PROGRAM] as part of an evaluation of the Community Choice Demonstration. A team of researchers, including staff from Abt Associates, the Urban Institute, MEF Associates, and Social Policy Research Associates, are conducting the evaluation for HUD.

The research team and HUD want to determine whether and to what extent mobility services are effective in helping HCV families move to higher-opportunity, lower-poverty neighborhoods. This study will help HUD understand how the mobility services were implemented and what impact the services may have had on where families used their vouchers and on long-term outcomes for participating households and children.

To help us better understand whether the program is working well from the perspectives of owners and managers of rental housing, we are talking with owners and property managers in your local housing market who have had some interaction with the [MOBILITY PROGRAM], such as outreach from the program. I would like to request an interview with you as part of the evaluation data collection. During this interview, we will ask you questions about the [MOBILITY PROGRAM] and the HCV program, including questions about your perspective on the programs, any decision you may have made to participate or not to participate in the programs, and any recommendations you may have on how to make the programs work better. We expect the interview to take about 60 minutes.

The interview is voluntary. Your decision about whether or not to participate in the interview will not affect any assistance that you may receive now or in the future. You will receive a gift card in the amount of $30 whether or not you answer all of the questions.

A member of the research team will reach out to you over the next couple of weeks to explain more about the upcoming interviews and set up an appointment. In the meantime, 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 XXX.XXX@xxxx.com.

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 XXXX@XXXXX.XXX 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.).