DATA COLLECTION POLICY

The information City Net collects about individuals and families who access our services is confidentially stored in a local electronic database called the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). HMIS securely records information (data) about people accessing housing and homeless services, which may include, but is not limited to, names and contact information, birthdates, demographic information, self-reported medical information, Veteran status, disability status, etc. Under the HMIS Data-Sharing Agreement, the individual client data of those who consent to have their information stored in HMIS is only viewable by qualified staff at each participating agency. In order to participate in HMIS, leaders at each agency must sign an Agency Agreement that includes a commitment to protecting client data and maintaining confidentiality, and agency staff must pass multiple trainings that each go over the importance of client privacy.

City Net is accountable to our HMIS Data-Sharing partners, to the local County, to our local Continuum of Care, and to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to maintain the privacy and security of the confidential personal information we collect about our clients and their families. Aside from these legal and funding-related obligations, we also believe we have an ethical responsibility to our clients to not share their personal data in ways to which they’ve not agreed. To ensure City Net’s commitment to excellent data collection, privacy and security, analysis and reporting practices, City Net does not authorize external agencies to complete these functions on our behalf except in very limited circumstances and only with prior written approval and with City Net’s full participation in all data reporting and analysis. This is so that City Net can responsibly provide context and analysis for the data City Net collects within collaborative efforts to coordinate the most effective services for our homeless neighbors, better understand homelessness in our community, assess the types of resources needed in our local area, and participate in generating aggregate statistical reports to HUD, which help to improve policy and bring adequate funding of services for the most vulnerable populations in our community, and so City Net can assure its ethical and legal responsibilities to homeless neighbors to not share their data in ways to which they have not agreed.