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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 99891-99893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-29094]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7080-N-57]

30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection; 2025 American 
Housing Survey; OMB Control No.: 2528-0017

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, Chief Data Officer, 
HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment 
from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. 
The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of 
public comment.

DATES: Comments Due Date: January 10, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Interested 
persons are also invited to submit comments regarding this proposal and 
comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB Control Number 
and should be sent to: Anna Guido, Clearance Officer, REE, Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 8210, 
Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, REE, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Washington, DC 20410; email [email protected] or 
telephone (202) 402-3400. This is not a toll-free number. HUD welcomes 
and is prepared to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard 
of hearing, as well as individuals with speech or communication 
disabilities. To learn more about how to make an accessible telephone 
call, please visit: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs.
    Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained from 
Ms. Guido.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice informs the public that HUD is 
seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in 
Section A.
    The Federal Register notice that solicited public comment on the 
information collection for a period of 60 days was published on 
September 3, 2024 at 89 FR 71384.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: 2025 American Housing Survey.
    MB Approval Number: 2528-0017.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use:
    The purpose of the American Housing Survey (AHS) is to supply the 
public with detailed and timely information

[[Page 99892]]

about housing quality, housing costs, and neighborhood assets, in 
support of effective housing policy, programs, and markets. Title 12, 
United States Code, Sections 1701Z-1, 1701Z-2(g), and 1710Z-10a 
mandates the collection of this information.
    Increasing field costs and declining response rates have led HUD to 
adopt a continuous data collection model as opposed to the periodic 5-
month data collection every other year. HUD believes continuous data 
collection will be more effective, primarily because: (1) it eliminates 
the expensive, time-consuming Regional Office AHS ramp-up costs every 
two years, and (2) it puts in place a more experienced AHS workforce 
with a constant workload. An added benefit is that we will be able to 
increase the frequency of national and metro AHS estimates, allowing 
for more current estimates and better comparability to other data 
sources which collect annual data (surveys such as the American 
Community Survey and key estimates such as homeownership/vacancy 
rates).
    The survey will continue to be longitudinal, interviewing the same 
housing unit every two years. The sample will be divided into 12 
cohorts where each cohort has a 2-month data collection period. Data 
collection will begin May 2025.
    In addition to the ``core'' data, HUD plans to collect supplemental 
data on climate risk and insurance, arts and culture, home 
accessibility, accessory dwelling units, and housing costs roster. 
Additionally wording variations related to sexual orientation and 
gender will be tested in support of the American Community Survey 
Content Test.
    The 2025 survey will begin a new longitudinal sample consisting of 
approximately 175,000 housing units. The sample is designed to provide 
estimates twenty metropolitan areas and at least seventeen states. An 
oversample of HUD-assisted housing units is included in the sample 
design. For the first survey cycle (2025-26) a bridge sample will be 
fielded. The bridge sample will be drawn from housing units that were 
successfully interviewed in 2023.
    The bridge sample serves as an evaluation tool. If something 
unforeseen were to happen with the 2025 sample, the estimates from the 
bridge sample can measure what the 2025 estimates would have looked 
like if we had not redesigned the AHS sample. The bridge sample size 
will be 8,500. Approximately seven percent of all interviews will be 
reinterviewed for the purpose of interviewer quality control (an 
estimated total of 12,845 housing units).
    To help reduce respondent burden on households in the longitudinal 
sample, the 2025 AHS will make use of dependent interviewing 
techniques, which will decrease the number of questions asked. Policy 
analysts, program managers, budget analysts, and Congressional staff 
use AHS data to advise executive and legislative branches about housing 
conditions and the suitability of public policy initiatives. Academic 
researchers and private organizations also use AHS data in efforts of 
specific interest and concern to their respective communities.
    The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) needs the AHS 
data for the following two reasons:
    1. With the data, policy analysts can monitor the interaction among 
housing needs, demand and supply, as well as changes in housing 
conditions and costs, to aid in the development of housing policies and 
the design of housing programs appropriate for different target groups, 
such as first-time home buyers and the elderly.
    2. With the data, HUD can evaluate, monitor, and design HUD 
programs to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
    HUD received two comments.
    The first, from the Pine Street Inn, a nonprofit organization that 
provides resources and support to the homeless population in the 
greater Boston area. The organization expressed strong support for the 
proposed changes to the American Housing Survey data collection process 
and commented that ``data regarding the country's current housing 
crisis, including the physical condition of homes and neighborhoods, 
the cost of financing and maintaining homes, and the characteristics of 
households, is of great importance to our organization.'' HUD 
appreciates the Pine Street Inn's comments and support of the proposed 
changes for the 2025 AHS.
    The second, from Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), expressed 
support for the change to continuous data collection, stating ``MHI 
collects and analyzes information to produce research publications on a 
near real-time basis. MHI relies on reliable up-to-date information to 
do so. Therefore, a continuous data collection process would be more 
accurate and improve MHI's capabilities in this area.'' MHI also asked 
for clarification on the intervals for release of data and if the 
releases would be annual or even monthly. HUD appreciates the 
Manufactured Housing Institute's comments and support of the proposed 
changes for the 2025 AHS. Currently, HUD plans to release annual and 
biennial PUF data products. The biennial file will produce two-year 
estimates, similar to an average of two consecutive annual estimates.

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                                             Number of     Frequency of    Responses per    Burden hour    Annual burden    Hourly cost
         Information collection             respondents      response          annum       per response        hours       per response     Annual cost
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Occupied Interviews.....................          59,500               1          59,500            0.75          44,625           23.11   $1,031,283.75
Vacant Interviews.......................           8,750               1           8,750            0.08             700           23.11       16,177.00
Non-interviews..........................          16,625               1          16,625               0               0           23.11               0
Ineligible..............................           2,625               1           2,625               0               0           23.11               0
                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal............................          87,500               1          87,500  ..............       45,325.00  ..............    1,047,460.75
Reinterviews............................           6,423               1           6,423            0.17        1,091.91           23.11       25,234.04
                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...............................          93,923               1          93,923  ..............       46,416.91  ..............    1,072,694.79
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B. Solicitation of Public Comment

    This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected parties concerning the collection of information described in 
Section A on the following:
    (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond; including through the use of appropriate 
automated collection techniques or other forms of

[[Page 99893]]

information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of 
responses.
    (5) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in response to 
these questions.

C. Authority

    Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
chapter 35.

Colette Pollard,
Department Reports Management Officer, Office of Policy Development and 
Research, Chief Data Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-29094 Filed 12-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P
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