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Develop Section 8
Innovative Practices
Case Studies
Work Plan
Cambridge, MA
Lexington, MA Contract:
Hadley, MA #DU100C000018374
Bethesda, MD Task Order 10
Washington, DC
Chicago, IL
Cairo, Egypt
Johannesburg, South Africa
July 1996
Prepared for
U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development
451 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20410
Abt Associates Inc.
55 Wheele r Street Prepared by
Cambridge, MA 02138 Meryl Finkel
CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
This Task Order is aimed at providing the Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH)
of the Department of Housing and Urban Development with a series of case studies describing
innovative practices in several aspects of the Section 8 program. The collection of case studies
is intended to serve as a resource for Section 8 program administrators around the country to
illustrate innovative ways to address program challenges and to identify contact people to provide
further information on these innovative practices.
Sites to be included in the case studies will be identified by HUD, Abt and Quadel staff
based on experience and familiarity with numerous Section 8 programs. Site selection is not
intended to be systematic or necessarily representative, but rather based on currently available
information.
The methodology for collecting the information for the case studies will include
reviewing existing documents as well as telephone conversations with relevant people at the
selected sites.
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 1
CHAPTER TWO
TASKS AND METHODS
This chapter describes the methods that Abt Associates will use to carry out the tasks
outlined in the Statement of Work for Task Order 10 under Contract DU100C000018374. The
primary objective of this task order is provide PIH with a series of case studies describing
innovative practices in several aspects of the Section 8 program. The work to be performed
under this task order consists of five primary tasks:
Task 1: Orientation
Task 2: Management Work Plan (MWP)
Task 3: Data Collection
Task 4: Draft Innovative Practices Case Studies
Task 5: Final Innovative Practices Case Studies
The following sections describe each of the tasks with respect to the procedures to be
followed, the products to be delivered, task interdependencies, and resources to be applied.
Exhibit 2-1 provides an overall depiction of the project schedule.
Exhibit 2-1
PROJECT SCHEDULE
Task Number Task Title Key Dates
Task 1 Orientation Effective Date 7/15/96
Orientation 7/17/96
Task 2 Management and Work Plan MWP 7/22/96
Task 3 Data Collection Start 7/18/96
End 7/31/96
Task 4 Draft Innovative Practices Case Studies Draft due 8/16/96
Task 5 Final Innovative Practices Case Studies Final due 9/15/96
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 2
Chapter Two: Tasks and Methods
Task 1
ORIENTATION
Within one week after the effective contract date, Abt and Quadel staff attended a
meeting at HUD Headquarters in order to establish a common understanding among Abt, PIH
and PD&R staff with regard to the objective and scope of work. A primary goal of the meeting
was to obtain a preliminary set of PHAs to include in the case studies.
Task 1 Summary: Orientation
Task 1 Start: 7/15/96
Task 1 End: 7/19/96
Key Staff: Finkel, Flanagan, Fisher, Popkin
Task 2
MANAGEMENT WORK PLAN (MWP)
Within one week of the effective date, Abt Associates will submit a detailed
Management and Work Plan. The Management and Work Plan will follow standard practices
and conventions in providing a detailed schedule of project activities, staffing, key personnel,
deliverables, and budgets. Exhibit 2-1 above shows a tentative set of dates for completion of all
tasks. Upon its approval by HUD, the Management Plan will guide all subsequent work on this
task order.
Task 2 Summary: Management and Work Plan
Task 2 Start: 7/15/96
Task 2 End: 7/22/96
Due Date
Deliverables: Management and Work Plan 7/22/96
Key Staff: Finkel
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 3
Chapter Two: Tasks and Methods
Task 3
DATA COLLECTION
At the orientation meeting a preliminary set of sites were identified based on HUD
recommendations and Abt and Quadel experience. A list of approximately 40 sites were
identified as potentially having innovative practices across about 18 different aspects of the
Section 8 program. Exhibit 2-2 details the preliminary site list including the topics of potential
interest. Between 1 and 3 examples will be highlighted as innovative for each topic. A final list
of sites and topics will be agreed upon July 26, 1996 at a meeting with HUD. Several sites were
identified as having innovative practices in more than one area.
Data collection began immediately following the orientation meeting. The team began
by reviewing any existing information on the proposed sites. The existing information included:
· Materials provided by HUD on recipients of HUD’s 1994 awards for
performance in the Section 8 program.
· Materials provided by HUD on recipients of NAHROS’s 1993 through 1995
awards for performance in the Section 8 program.
· The report currently being prepared by Abt and Quadel on State and Metropoli-
tan administration of the Section 8 program.
· Abt’s report for HUD on Operation Bootstrap.
· Other information from Abt, Quadel and HUD staff.
Following the review of documents, the team began conducting phone conversations
with the appropriate PHA staff members at the sites nominated by HUD. The first step in the
contact with sites is confirming their willingness and appropriateness to be included in the case
studies. Willing and appropriate sites are then queried further about their innovative practices.
The key steps for the telephone conversations include:
1. Locate the correct contact person at the PHA (either the executive director, the
Section 8 director, or the person responsible for the specific task). In some
cases we have the name of the contact person from existing materials or from
our previous experience at the site. In other cases the appropriate person needs
to be identified as part of the telephone conversation.
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 4
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc.
Exhibit 2-2
PRELIMINARY SITES BY TOPIC
Topic Site Topic Site
FSS Montgomery County, MD Rent Reasonableness Dakota County, MN
New Jersey DCA Orange County, CA
San Diego, CA Lane County, OR
Clearwater, FL Portland, OR
Rockford, IL
Milwaukee, WI Mobility Counseling Los Angeles City, CA
Fort Worth, TX Hartford, CT
Family Unification New Jersey Security Deposit Marin County, CA
Montgomery County, MD Guarantee
VASH Bedford, MA Eviction Prevention New Jersey
West Haven, CT Program
San Bernardino, CA
Landlord Outreach Boulder, CO
5
Portability Alameda County, CA Bremerton, WA
Oakland, CA Dakota County, MN
Orange County, CA Portland, OR
Clark County (Las Vegas), NV
File Management New Jersey
Waiting List Charlotte, NC New Orleans, LA
Alameda County, CA
Chapter Two: Tasks and Methods
Direct Deposit Nashville, TN
HQS New Jersey
Oklahoma Customer Service Alameda County, CA
Syracuse, NY Dade County, FL
Fairfax County, VA
Tenants and Crime Oakland, CA
Income Verification/ Lane County, OR Richmond, VA
Fraud Dakota County, MN
Neighborhood Relations Portland, OR
New York City, NY
Prince George’s County, MD
Alexandria, VA
Santa Clara County (San Jose), CA
Chapter Two: Tasks and Methods
2. Provide the contact with an overview of the project and notify them they are
being considered for inclusion in the publication. It is likely at this point the
respondent, if it is not the executive director, will need to check with the
director to obtain approval to participate.
3. Obtain information about the innovative practice:
· What challenge are they trying to address?
· What resources are required to address the challenge (staff, dollars and
other resources)?
· What partnerships were forged in the process? and
· What results have occurred?
4. Ask the PHA to send us any written information available.
5. Identify other potential innovations at the PHA and identify other PHAs that
have innovative practices.
6. Thank the respondent, and notify them we will call back to confirm their
participation. Let them know that if they are included in the publication we
will want them to review what we have written to be sure that the information
included in the case studies is completely accurate.
Abt and HUD staff will meet again on July 26 to review the progress made in the data
collection and to finalize the list of PHAs to include in the case studies.
Task 3 Summary: Data Collection
Task 3 Start: 7/18/96
Task 3 End: 7/31/96
Key Staff: Finkel, Climaco, Elwood, Feins, Locke, Popkin
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 6
Chapter Two: Tasks and Methods
Task 4
PREPARATION OF DRAFT CASE STUDIES ON INNOVATIVE PRACTICES
Abt will prepare a series of case studies on innovative practices in various aspects of
the Section 8 program. Our plan is to group practices into meaningful categories so that readers
can learn about a range of challenges and solutions to linked issues. In Exhibit 2-3 we present
a preliminary grouping of topics.
As part of the meeting on July 26 we will review these suggested topic groups with
HUD staff and refine the categories. As the exhibit illustrates, specific topics can appear in
multiple categories because different aspects of the topic are the focus of the case studies. For
example, the HQS procedures of one PHA may be presented under the topic of landlord
relations, if a particular PHA has an innovative way to communicate HQS results quickly and
effectively to landlords. Another aspect of HQS, such as using hand-held computers, may be
highlighted under administrative efficiency if it helps the inspectors be consistent and efficient
in their inspection procedures.
Recognizing the fast turnaround and high visibility nature of this study, Abt will work
closely with both an editor and a graphics specialist to ensure that an interesting readable
document results with minimal revisions required.
Task 4 Summary: Draft Case Studies on Innovative Practices
Task 4 Start: 8/1/96
Task 4 End: 8/16/96
Due Date
Deliverables: Draft Case Studies on Innovative Practices 8/16/96
Key Staff: Finkel, Climaco, Elwood, Feins, Holin, Locke, Popkin
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 7
Chapter Two: Tasks and Methods
Exhibit 2-3
PROPOSED TOPIC GROUPINGSa
A. Special Populations—VASH, Family Unification, Shelter + Care
B. Opportunities for Tenants—Family Self-Sufficiency, Mobility Counseling, Rent Reason-
ableness, Security Deposit Guarantee
C. Making Section 8 More Accessible—Portability, Waiting List, Security Deposit Guarantee,
Customer Service
D. Community and Landlord Relations—Rent Reasonableness, Landlord Outreach, Cus-
tomer Service, Community Outreach, Direct Deposit of Landlord Payments
E. Streamlining Administration—HQS, Income Certification/Verification, Rent Reasonable-
ness, File Management
F. Preventing Fraud and Abuse—HQS, Income Certification/Verification, Rent Reasonable-
ness, Fraud
G. Dealing with Troubled Tenants—Tenants and Crime, Evictions Procedures/Avoidance
a
Some topics appear in more than one grouping.
Task 5
PREPARATION OF FINAL CASE STUDIES ON INNOVATIVE PRACTICES
Within two weeks of receipt of HUD comments to the draft case studies we will make
necessary revisions and submit a final set of Case Studies on Innovative Practices.
Task 5 Summary: Final Case Studies on Innovative Practices
Task 5 Start: 8/16/96
Task 5 End: 9/15/96
Due Date
Deliverables: Final Case Studies on Innovative Practices 9/15/96
Key Staff: Finkel, Climaco, Elwood, Feins, Holin, Locke, Popkin
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 8
CHAPTER THREE
PROJECT ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING
This chapter describes the project organization and staffing for this Task Order. We are
pleased to be able to provide HUD with a team with experience studying all aspects of the
Section 8 program.
The project will be directed by Dr. Meryl Finkel. Dr. Finkel, a senior economist and
project director at Abt, has over 10 years experience evaluating housing programs at the national,
state and local levels. She will be responsible for overall study design, schedule, and
deliverables, and for day-to-day project management. Dr. Finkel is well-qualified to assume these
responsibilities because of her project management experience and experience studying the
Section 8 program. When she first joined Abt, Dr. Finkel was an analyst on the Housing
Voucher Demonstration where she looked at program administrative costs. Since then she
managed the Section 8 Voucher and Certificate Utilization study for HUD, as well as the Task
Order to develop an analytic file using the third-year voucher database. For the National
Multihousing Council she led a study on landlord concerns with the Section 8 program, and for
Fannie Mae she conducted a study on racial and ethnic differences in Section 8 Voucher and
Certificate utilization rates using the Housing Voucher Demonstration data.
Dr. Finkel will be supported by a staff of senior researchers from Abt and Quadel, all
of whom have studied various aspects of the Section 8 program.
Dr. Judith Feins is a Senior Associate and Project Director at Abt Associates. She is
currently managing two studies of different aspects of Section 8. Dr. Feins is the Project
Director for Abt’s contract to assist HUD with the design and implementation of the Moving to
Opportunity for Fair Housing Demonstration Program (MTO). She is also completing a study
of state and metropolitan administration of the Section 8 program. Through these studies she has
become thoroughly familiar with many aspects of the Section 8 program including mobility,
portability, program regulations and administrative patterns.
Ms. Mary Joel Holin is an Associate and Project Director at Abt. She is currently the
data collection manager and site monitor for Baltimore for Abt’s contract to assist HUD with the
implementation of Moving to Opportunity. Prior to joining Abt in 1992, Ms. Holin served as the
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 9
Chapter Three: Project Organization and Staffing
research director for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials
(NAHRO).
Ms. Gretchen Locke has been involved in numerous studies of the role Section 8 can
play in assisting particular populations attain self-sufficiency and other goals. As an analyst on
Abt’s study for HUD to document the results of Operation Bootstrap, Ms. Locke conducted site
visits and contributed to the study’s reports. Currently she is a senior analyst in the evaluation
of the Shelter Plus Care program for homeless persons.
Dr. Susan Popkin is a senior analyst and site coordinator for Los Angeles on Abt’s
contract to assist HUD with the implementation of Moving to Opportunity. Dr. Popkin has
conducted numerous studies on crime prevention in public and assisted housing. Prior to coming
to Abt, she directed a series of studies on the Gautreaux Housing Desegregation program in
Chicago.
Mr. Paul Elwood is a senior analyst at Abt Associates. Since joining Abt in 1993 Mr.
Elwood has performed data collection, instrument design, sites visits and analysis for housing and
welfare program evaluations. Most recently he worked with Dr. Feins on the data collection and
analysis for the study of state and metropolitan Section 8 administration.
Ms. Carissa Climaco is an analyst at Abt. She recently returned to Abt after receiving
her Master’s in Urban Planning from MIT. Before leaving Abt she worked on the Utilization
Study, where she was involved in the analysis of PHA practices and was responsible for
monitoring site participation. She also assisted Dr. Finkel in the third-year voucher data Task
Order.
Mr. Gene Rizor, Ms. Marcy Fisher and Ms. Linda Noel of Quadel Consulting will also
be contributing to the design and implementation of this study. Quadel’s extensive experience
and knowledge of the Section 8 program is shown, for example, by its annual Section 8
conference and guidebook, which is used by programs across the country.
Overall management review will be provided by Ms. Kathleen Flanagan, Area Manager
and Managing Vice President for the Housing and Income Security Area of Abt Associates. In
that capacity Ms. Flanagan will be responsible for reviewing task order products and monitoring
project progress and for arranging to obtain any needed resources to assure that the project meets
Abt Associate’s corporate commitment to provide work of high quality within the agreed-upon
resources and schedules.
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 10
Chapter Three: Project Organization and Staffing
BUDGET
Prepared by Abt Associates Inc. 11
Appendix A
RESUMES OF PROPOSED STAFF
Abt Associates Inc.
MERYL FINKEL
JUDITH FEINS
CARISSA CLIMACO
PAUL ELWOOD
GRETCHEN LOCKE
SUSAN POPKIN
MARY JOEL HOLIN
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