A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson

Should we share at all? The debate A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson Should we share at all? The debate Benefits: To the project, to the CoC, to the client, to staff Objections Don’t get into legal trouble And the answer is…

Building consensus Collaborative partners Existence of client record A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson Building consensus Collaborative partners Existence of client record UDEs (primarily demographics) Release of Information Program specific client info, Agencies, and services HIPAA covered agencies Administrative exceptions Victim Service Providers Grass roots consensus and how to nurture it Grass roots consensus = requests for greater sharing from the people on the front lines

Thinking inside bigger boxes A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson Thinking inside bigger boxes Making a deal with the community Important questions Can the community be considered a legal entity? Will the clients and/or the case managers agree? Anticipate and prepare for objections

Special Case #1: Runaway & Homeless Youth A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson Special Case #1: Runaway & Homeless Youth Under 18 can’t legally enter into ROI agreement (unless emancipated) No permission is required to enter data into the database, only for sharing In our case, it turns out most youth are over 18. Check for state and local exceptions

What could possibly go wrong? A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson What could possibly go wrong? Historical Data The Tangled Web A Vendor in your corner The best solution: successful housing placement What’s it worth to you?

The clients’ interests A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson The clients’ interests Two competing values: protecting the client’s privacy over sensitive information (and respecting their wishes on that) vs. Being able to meet their needs in a timely and efficient manner. ASK questions: get a thorough understanding of the situation CONSIDER alternatives STRIKE a balance

A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson Anonymity Or: How to undo everything with one well-intentioned loophole Using an anonymous client record is definitely required for certain circumstances Most concerns can be resolved by less drastic measures Know your options

Special Case #2: Victim Services A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson Special Case #2: Victim Services The law and resulting regulations are very clear about Victim Service providers participation in HMIS. VSP cannot enter any client level data into the HMIS or provide it to anyone else to be entered indirectly. Such clients can be served by other providers who can enter their data (if safe and appropriate). Referrals to the VSP ought to be allowed Data sharing through other media? Anonymous data sharing?

A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson Critical components Buy-in from all the stakeholders (including the clients) Release of Information Legal compliance Easy to understand and explain Training

Special Case #3: Veterans Affairs A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson Special Case #3: Veterans Affairs VA participation is a very different set of challenges Institutional fear of disclosure Robust system security and data protocols Complicated approval processes

Other options Some ideas we did not go with (but considered): A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson Other options Some ideas we did not go with (but considered): Opening by fiat Retroactive sharing Virtual databases

The best time to open data sharing A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson The best time to open data sharing An open system is like a tree and therefore the best time to start… 20 years ago Today As soon as you can convince everyone.

Thank you! Richard L. Dodson – HMIS Administrator A Masters in Hard Knocks: The True Story of Open Data Sharing in Austin/Travis County, TX Richard L. Dodson Thank you! Richard L. Dodson – HMIS Administrator ECHO – The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition RichardDodson@austinecho.org austinecho.org Twitter: twitter.com/atxecho Facebook: facebook.com/atxecho