Appendix H – Guide to Develop an Evaluation Plan for PHA FUP Management

^Appendix H: Discussion Guide to Develop an Evaluation Plan for Public Housing Authority FUP Management (Phone Interview, Prior to Implementation)

This information is being collected to inform the evaluation of the Family Unification Program (FUP) being conducted by a research team at the Urban Institute, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and Child Trends. This information will be used to inform the US Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (HHS ACF) and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to improve the administration of the FUP program. All the information you provide will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.

If you have questions or concerns about the study, please contact:

Michael Pergamit Mark Courtney

Urban Institute Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

202-261-5276 773.702.1219

mpergamit@urban.org markc@uchicago.edu

If you agree to participate in this study and feel that your rights have been violated or that you have

not been treated fairly, contact:

The Institutional Review Board Coordinator

Everett Madden

Urban Institute

2100 M Street NW

Washington DC 20037

Phone: 202-261-5632

The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Family Unification Program. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. 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 number and expiration date for this collection are OMB #: 0970-XXXX, Exp: 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 Michael Pergamit at mpergamit@urban.org.

Discussion Guide to Develop an Evaluation Plan for Public Housing Authority FUP Management (Phone Interview, Prior to Implementation)

Pre-Implementation Phone Interview (within 1 month of FUP grant award)

PHA Background

Please tell me about you and your agency.

• What is your position at the agency?

• Is there a staff person who is responsible for overseeing the FUP program? Is FUP the only program they work on?

• Who else at this agency is involved in the FUP program in any way? What are their roles?

Partnerships

• What is the role of the Continuum of Care?

  • Probe: provide referrals, provide services to families?

• What other agencies or organizations are involved in the FUP Program?

• What are their roles?

FUP Voucher Allocation

• Is this your agency’s first time administering the FUP program?

• How many FUP vouchers did you have before your recent award?

• What is your plan for use of the new FUP vouchers? Will you serve both families and youth?

  • If youth: have you chosen to set aside a certain number of vouchers for youth? How many?

• Will you serve both intact families to prevent removal and families trying to reunify with children in out-of-home care?

  • If both: have you chosen to set aside a certain number of vouchers for each type of family? How many for intact families? How many for reunification families?

• How did you decide to set aside vouchers to these different groups?

• Will the vouchers you use for families be tenant-based or project-based?

• If both: how many vouchers will be tenant-based? How many project-based?

• How many FUP vouchers used for families typically turn over per year? Does it differ whether the vouchers are tenant-based or project-based? If so, how?

Eligibility, Referral Process, and Screening

• How are FUP eligible families identified? What organization refers FUP eligible families?

• Please describe the referral process.

  • What happens when you receive a referral? Please walk us through the process.

• Is there an application that is required by the PHA? What eligibility requirements does the PHA place on top of FUP-specific criteria to issue a voucher?

• Do you apply the same conditions on FUP voucher applications as you do HCV applications? How do they differ?

  • Probe: criminal background, substance use, rental history, other HCV eligibility requirements

• Does the PCWA take into account these PHA requirements in their referrals? How effectively do they account for PHA requirements?

• Is there a waiting list for FUP vouchers?

• What happens when a family reaches the top of the waiting list?

• How is/will the HCV waiting list (be) utilized in the process (e.g. send all the names on the waitlist to PCWA to find CW families, or check if PCWA referrals are already on the HCV waitlist, or the waitlist does not play a role in the process, or other)

• If the PHA has an existing FUP program:

  • What proportion of families referred to the program receive a voucher? For those that are denied, what are the most common reasons they are denied?

  • What proportion of families referred to the housing authority sign a lease for housing with a voucher? For those that receive a voucher but do not sign a lease, what are the most common reasons they do not sign a lease for housing?

  • What proportion of families who sign a lease stay in housing for at least one year? For those that exit housing, what are the most common reasons they exit housing?

Program Model

• Please describe how families move through the FUP program.

  • Once an application is approved, when is the voucher issued?

  • How long is allowed for the housing search process?

  • What types of housing search assistance are provided by the PHA? By any partners?

Data Systems

• What type of data system do you use to record client data?

  • What about for the FUP program?

• How do you use the information you collect?

• What types of information do you track for your FUP program?

• Who is responsible for entering/tracking the information on FUP families?

• What is the process for an external organization to get data for research? (e.g. an Institutional Review Board or a Research Review Board, Data Sharing Agreement)

Closing

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today.

Is there anything that I did not ask about that you think I should know about the FUP program or your experience with FUP families?

Do you have any final questions for me about the study, or about the research team?