First FOIA (Department of Housing and Urban Development)
| Tracking # |
#21-FI-HQ-00277 |
| Multi Request | First FOIA |
| Submitted | May 20, 2019 |
| Est. Completion | April 23, 2021 |
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Communications
From: Emma North-Best
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
*Documents generated as part of the creation of the FOIA office (defined as whatever department, office, or coordinator is responsible for overseeing and/or processing FOIA requests), whether this was at the time of the agency's creation or the passage of the Freedom of Information Act, to include:
1. The instruction to do so from the Agency, as well as any guidance from the senior leadership
2. Documents discussing proposals and procedures
3. Any legal guidance or analysis produced or acquired by the Agency in response to or as part of the creation of the FOIA office
4. Internal documents from the press office, legislative liaison's office (or equivalent), general counsel's office (or equivalent), director's office (or equivalent) or the newly created FOIA office, reacting to or characterizing the office and it's creation
* A copy of the agency's first perfected (successful) FOIA request
* Copies of other FOIA requests filed before the FOIA request described above
* Processing notes, search slips and response documents regarding the FOIA requests described above
* The first set of guidelines, instructions and/or forms created to control the agency's processing of FOIA requests
* A copy of the agency's first successful FOIA appeal
* Copies of other FOIA appeals received by the agency before the appeal described above
* Processing notes, search slips and response documents regarding the FOIA appeals described above
* The first set of guidelines, instructions and/or forms created to control the agency's processing of FOIA appeals
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Emma Best
From: Emma North-Best
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
*Documents generated as part of the creation of the FOIA office (defined as whatever department, office, or coordinator is responsible for overseeing and/or processing FOIA requests), whether this was at the time of the agency's creation or the passage of the Freedom of Information Act, to include:
1. The instruction to do so from the Agency, as well as any guidance from the senior leadership
2. Documents discussing proposals and procedures
3. Any legal guidance or analysis produced or acquired by the Agency in response to or as part of the creation of the FOIA office
4. Internal documents from the press office, legislative liaison's office (or equivalent), general counsel's office (or equivalent), director's office (or equivalent) or the newly created FOIA office, reacting to or characterizing the office and it's creation
* A copy of the agency's first perfected (successful) FOIA request
* Copies of other FOIA requests filed before the FOIA request described above
* Processing notes, search slips and response documents regarding the FOIA requests described above
* The first set of guidelines, instructions and/or forms created to control the agency's processing of FOIA requests
* A copy of the agency's first successful FOIA appeal
* Copies of other FOIA appeals received by the agency before the appeal described above
* Processing notes, search slips and response documents regarding the FOIA appeals described above
* The first set of guidelines, instructions and/or forms created to control the agency's processing of FOIA appeals
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Emma Best
From: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Dear Emma Best,
The status of your FOIA request #21-FI-HQ-00277 has been updated to the following status 'Received'. To log into the HUD FOIA Public Access Website click on the Application URL below.
Sincerely,
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
From: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Dear Ms. Best,
Good morning. Attached is your acknowledgment letter. I've taken the liberty of changing the item numbering scheme in the items of your request (by adding numbers in instances where there weren't any, and changing the numbers that you did use, to letters of the alphabet). Feel free to let me know if the attached slightly revised version is acceptable to you.
My other comment is that odds are that on records that old, that HUD does not have physical copies of many of them. For one thing, during the pandemic, staffers may be unable to search through physical files. And it could be that HUD records from particular eras are now housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (which I'd need to glean and pass along from the relevant program office(s) I would assign to your search).
If there is some overarching angle to your request that you think might be useful to pass along to the folks who would actually conduct any searches - for example are you already well aware that items this old are likely no longer in the possession of such agencies and is there some critical mass of responsive documents that would be satisfactory to you (especially given limited access to physical files during the pandemic) - I would be glad to pass that along.
Thanks,
Howard Rosenberg
FOIA Specialist
From: Department of Housing and Urban Development
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 11:19 AM
To: 'requests@muckrock.com' <requests@muckrock.com>
Subject: acknowledgment letter of Emma Best's FOIA request of 11/16/20 (covering 1965 to 1985, with two minor comments)
Dear Ms. Best,
Good morning. Attached is your acknowledgment letter. I've taken the liberty of changing the item numbering scheme in the items of your request (by adding numbers in instances where there weren't any, and changing the numbers that you did use, to letters of the alphabet). Feel free to let me know if the attached slightly revised version is acceptable to you.
My other comment is that odds are that on records that old, that HUD does not have physical copies of many of them. For one thing, during the pandemic, staffers may be unable to search through physical files. And it could be that HUD records from particular eras are now housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (which I'd need to glean and pass along from the relevant program office(s) I would assign to your search).
If there is some overarching angle to your request that you think might be useful to pass along to the folks who would actually conduct any searches - for example are you already well aware that items this old are likely no longer in the possession of such agencies and is there some critical mass of responsive documents that would be satisfactory to you (especially given limited access to physical files during the pandemic) - I would be glad to pass that along.
Thanks,
Howard Rosenberg
FOIA Specialist
From: Department of Housing and Urban Development
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2020 1:55 PM
To: 'requests@muckrock.com' <requests@muckrock.com>
Subject: resend from 11/17: seeking further guidance on Emma's 11/16/20 request (related to its date search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, likely hard to search during pandemic)
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 11:19 AM
To: 'requests@muckrock.com' <requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>>
Subject: acknowledgment letter of Emma Best's FOIA request of 11/16/20 (covering 1965 to 1985, with two minor comments)
Dear Ms. Best,
Good morning. Attached is your acknowledgment letter. I've taken the liberty of changing the item numbering scheme in the items of your request (by adding numbers in instances where there weren't any, and changing the numbers that you did use, to letters of the alphabet). Feel free to let me know if the attached slightly revised version is acceptable to you.
My other comment is that odds are that on records that old, that HUD does not have physical copies of many of them. For one thing, during the pandemic, staffers may be unable to search through physical files. And it could be that HUD records from particular eras are now housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (which I'd need to glean and pass along from the relevant program office(s) I would assign to your search).
If there is some overarching angle to your request that you think might be useful to pass along to the folks who would actually conduct any searches - for example are you already well aware that items this old are likely no longer in the possession of such agencies and is there some critical mass of responsive documents that would be satisfactory to you (especially given limited access to physical files during the pandemic) - I would be glad to pass that along.
Thanks,
Howard Rosenberg
FOIA Specialist
From: Department of Housing and Urban Development
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2020 3:57 PM
To: requests@muckrock.com
Subject: resend from 11/17 and 12/9: seeking further guidance on Emma's 11/16/20 request (related to its date search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, likely hard to search during pandemic)
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2020 1:55 PM
To: 'requests@muckrock.com' <requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>>
Subject: resend from 11/17: seeking further guidance on Emma's 11/16/20 request (related to its date search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, likely hard to search during pandemic)
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 11:19 AM
To: 'requests@muckrock.com' <requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>>
Subject: acknowledgment letter of Emma Best's FOIA request of 11/16/20 (covering 1965 to 1985, with two minor comments)
Dear Ms. Best,
Good morning. Attached is your acknowledgment letter. I've taken the liberty of changing the item numbering scheme in the items of your request (by adding numbers in instances where there weren't any, and changing the numbers that you did use, to letters of the alphabet). Feel free to let me know if the attached slightly revised version is acceptable to you.
My other comment is that odds are that on records that old, that HUD does not have physical copies of many of them. For one thing, during the pandemic, staffers may be unable to search through physical files. And it could be that HUD records from particular eras are now housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (which I'd need to glean and pass along from the relevant program office(s) I would assign to your search).
If there is some overarching angle to your request that you think might be useful to pass along to the folks who would actually conduct any searches - for example are you already well aware that items this old are likely no longer in the possession of such agencies and is there some critical mass of responsive documents that would be satisfactory to you (especially given limited access to physical files during the pandemic) - I would be glad to pass that along.
Thanks,
Howard Rosenberg
FOIA Specialist
From: Department of Housing and Urban Development
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2021 11:47 AM
To: requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>
Subject: resend from 11/17, 12/9 and 12/28: seeking further guidance on Emma's 11/16/20 request (related to its date search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, likely hard to search during pandemic)
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2020 3:57 PM
To: requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>
Subject: resend from 11/17 and 12/9: seeking further guidance on Emma's 11/16/20 request (related to its date search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, likely hard to search during pandemic)
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2020 1:55 PM
To: 'requests@muckrock.com' <requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>>
Subject: resend from 11/17: seeking further guidance on Emma's 11/16/20 request (related to its date search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, likely hard to search during pandemic)
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 11:19 AM
To: 'requests@muckrock.com' <requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>>
Subject: acknowledgment letter of Emma Best's FOIA request of 11/16/20 (covering 1965 to 1985, with two minor comments)
Dear Ms. Best,
Good morning. Attached is your acknowledgment letter. I've taken the liberty of changing the item numbering scheme in the items of your request (by adding numbers in instances where there weren't any, and changing the numbers that you did use, to letters of the alphabet). Feel free to let me know if the attached slightly revised version is acceptable to you.
My other comment is that odds are that on records that old, that HUD does not have physical copies of many of them. For one thing, during the pandemic, staffers may be unable to search through physical files. And it could be that HUD records from particular eras are now housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (which I'd need to glean and pass along from the relevant program office(s) I would assign to your search).
If there is some overarching angle to your request that you think might be useful to pass along to the folks who would actually conduct any searches - for example are you already well aware that items this old are likely no longer in the possession of such agencies and is there some critical mass of responsive documents that would be satisfactory to you (especially given limited access to physical files during the pandemic) - I would be glad to pass that along.
Thanks,
Howard Rosenberg
FOIA Specialist
From: Department of Housing and Urban Development
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2021 11:18 AM
To: 'requests@muckrock.com' <requests@muckrock.com>
Subject: RE: resend from 11/17, 12/9, 12/28 and 1/19: seeking further guidance on Emma's 11/16/20 request (related to its date search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, likely hard to search during pandemic)
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2021 11:47 AM
To: requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>
Subject: resend from 11/17, 12/9 and 12/28: seeking further guidance on Emma's 11/16/20 request (related to its date search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, likely hard to search during pandemic)
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2020 3:57 PM
To: requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>
Subject: resend from 11/17 and 12/9: seeking further guidance on Emma's 11/16/20 request (related to its date search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, likely hard to search during pandemic)
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2020 1:55 PM
To: 'requests@muckrock.com' <requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>>
Subject: resend from 11/17: seeking further guidance on Emma's 11/16/20 request (related to its date search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, likely hard to search during pandemic)
From: Rosenberg, Howard
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 11:19 AM
To: 'requests@muckrock.com' <requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>>
Subject: acknowledgment letter of Emma Best's FOIA request of 11/16/20 (covering 1965 to 1985, with two minor comments)
Dear Ms. Best,
Good morning. Attached is your acknowledgment letter. I've taken the liberty of changing the item numbering scheme in the items of your request (by adding numbers in instances where there weren't any, and changing the numbers that you did use, to letters of the alphabet). Feel free to let me know if the attached slightly revised version is acceptable to you.
My other comment is that odds are that on records that old, that HUD does not have physical copies of many of them. For one thing, during the pandemic, staffers may be unable to search through physical files. And it could be that HUD records from particular eras are now housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (which I'd need to glean and pass along from the relevant program office(s) I would assign to your search).
If there is some overarching angle to your request that you think might be useful to pass along to the folks who would actually conduct any searches - for example are you already well aware that items this old are likely no longer in the possession of such agencies and is there some critical mass of responsive documents that would be satisfactory to you (especially given limited access to physical files during the pandemic) - I would be glad to pass that along.
Thanks,
Howard Rosenberg
FOIA Specialist
From: Emma North-Best
I am "already well aware that items this old are likely no longer in the possession of such agencies," as well as the numerous counter-examples at numerous agencies and that case law requiring a search to be performed. Delays due to COVID-19 protocols are acceptable. Thanks so much.
From: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Hi,
Good afternoon, and hope you're having a nice week. I'm writing mainly to learn of any continued interest by Emmy in having HUD try to process her request focused on 1965 to 1985, in whole or part.
As I noted back on November 17, 2020, at the bottom of this email chain, the search range of 1965 to 1985, with physical copies, if they still exist, is likely hard to accomplish during the pandemic.
And odds are that on records that old, that HUD does not have physical copies of many of them. And it could be that HUD records from particular eras are now housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (which I'd need to glean and pass along from the relevant program office(s) I would assign to your search).
If I don't hear from you by Friday, April 23, I'll assume that you no longer need for HUD to do anything with your request and I will close it. You can always ask that it be reopened.
Thanks,
Howard Rosenberg
FOIA Specialist
HUD
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