KUOW reports on the information required from homeless people seeking assistance, and the state of Washington’s practice of giving its homeless population “the choice to keep personal information from a big database that service providers keep and share on the people they help.” But protecting the privacy and security of the homeless has “an unintended consequence: Washington state receives less federal and donor money to help the homeless,” the report states, noting donors “want the information to track their money—and to improve programs.” Advocates are especially concerned for domestic violence survivors, the report states. The Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s Grace Huang explains, “Our goal is that people don't feel like they're going to put themselves at risk because they are so desperate to get housing.”
Full Story