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Department of Housing and Urban Development

Public and Indian Housing

Special Attention:

Section 8 Public Housing Agencies;

Public Housing Office Directors

Notice PIH 2000-02 (HA)

Issued: January 4, 2000

Expires: January 31, 2001

Cross References:

Subject: Customer Survey of Section 8 Tenant-Based Program

Participants - OMB Approval 2528-0170 expires

9/30/2002

**1. [Purpose]{.underline}** This notice informs public housing agencies
(PHAs) and HUD field staff of the January 2000 commencement of a
customer survey to assess the quality of housing leased under the
Section 8 tenant-based program. The customer survey is intended to
provide valuable customer feedback to HUD and PHAs concerning
participants' satisfaction with their housing units and neighborhoods.
Attached for your information is a copy of the customer survey and cover
letter.

Under an Executive Order for "Setting Customer Service Standards", the
entire Federal government was asked to ensure that the highest quality
of service is provided to the American people. HUD and other agencies
were asked to "survey customers to determine the kind and quality of
services they want and their level of satisfaction with existing
services". This survey will provide a measure of customer satisfaction
for the Section 8 tenant-based programs. The survey will also generate
valuable outcome measures for HUD to report on Section 8 program
performance under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993
(GPRA).

**2. [Background]{.underline}** In 1995, the Department considered
whether a tenant survey might be a good means of gathering information
about whether units leased under the Section 8 tenant-based programs
meet housing quality standards (HQS). The Department's Office of Policy
Development and Research developed and tested two mail survey
questionnaires from 1995 to 1998. The pilot tests of the surveys
resulted in high rates of return and highly accurate participant
responses. Participants reliably reported whether or not their units met
HQS. The Department concluded from the pilots that it is worthwhile to
automate the customer survey and undertake the nationwide systematic
gathering of information from randomly selected participants to help
PHAs and HUD evaluate whether housing leased under the Section 8
tenant-based program meets HQS, and to learn more about the
characteristics of neighborhoods where participants choose housing.

**3. [Customer Survey Procedures]{.underline}** The Department has
developed a process to continuously survey Section 8 participants from
all PHAs. HUD will use the Multifamily Tenant Characteristics System
(MTCS) to generate monthly random samples of Section 8 families to whom
surveys will be mailed. To the extent possible, the families selected
will be those whose units have passed HQS inspection within the last
five months. The Department is using a mailing contractor to mail the
surveys monthly and to receive the survey responses. The mailing
contractor will track receipt of survey responses and will send up to
two survey reminders to encourage participants to reply. The contractor
will scan the completed participant surveys and transmit the survey
results back to HUD on a monthly basis. The Department plans to report
the survey results for each PHA in a new MTCS monthly or quarterly
report that will be developed and implemented during Fiscal Year 2000.

The customer survey has been designed to have little if any impact on
PHAs' administrative responsibilities. Participants who receive the
surveys will be given a toll free number at the Department's Public and
Indian Housing Information Resource Center where they may call with any
questions or concerns about the survey. However, some participants may
still call their PHAs or HUD field offices for more information about
the survey. Please encourage families to complete and return the
surveys, assure them that their responses will be kept confidential, and
refer them to the toll free number if necessary.

**4. [Use of the Survey Data]{.underline}** The customer survey will
allow HUD to provide participant feedback to PHAs to help them improve
their Section 8 programs, and it will help HUD to focus its monitoring
and technical assistance resources where survey results indicate that
improvement may be needed. The survey will provide HUD's policy, program
and budget managers with improved measures for tracking nationwide
housing conditions of Section 8 participants over time.

I look forward to the successful implementation of the Section 8
customer survey, and hope that by fiscal year end we will have useful
information to share with PHAs about participants' views of their
Section 8 housing. Thank you for your cooperation in this important
effort.

/s/

Harold Lucas

Assistant Secretary for

Public and Indian Housing

Attachment (not included in this file)