Introduction

Overview of PASS

• Problem Statement:

Homeless individuals facing housing insecurity often encounter insurmountable obstacles when attempting to secure housing, access vital support services, and maintain control over their personal data. Individuals often lose their critical documentation, such as IDs and birth certificates, due to the transient nature of their circumstances. This loss creates significant issues, impeding access to support services, housing, and employment opportunities that require valid identification. It also leaves them vulnerable to identity theft, hinders access to healthcare and social benefits, and perpetuates cycles of poverty and instability. In essence, the loss of documentation amplifies the already substantial challenges faced by homeless individuals. Traditional methods of managing housing assistance and safeguarding sensitive information are fragmented, inefficient, and frequently fail to empower those who need it most.

The lack of a unified, secure, and user-centric system has led to the following critical problems:

• Data Fragmentation and Vulnerability: Individuals experiencing housing insecurity often possess essential documents and data crucial for accessing housing and support services. However, these documents are frequently scattered across various platforms, making them vulnerable to loss, theft, or unauthorized access.

• Privacy and Control Challenges: Current systems often place individuals at the mercy of centralized organizations, eroding their control over personal data. This lack of data autonomy results in privacy concerns and potential misuse of sensitive information.

• Inefficient Communication: Effective communication between individuals in need and nonprofit organizations is hindered by disjointed channels, leading to delays in accessing vital support and services.

• Limited Access to Verified Information: Verification of critical documents, a fundamental requirement for securing housing and services, remains a cumbersome and non-standardized process.

• Complexity in Case Management: Case Managers, essential in assisting individuals facing housing insecurity, encounter challenges in coordinating efforts, sharing information securely, and maintaining comprehensive case records.

• Solution Statement:

This initiative's main objective is to create a decentralized system that gives people complete ownership over their data. The adoption of reliable technology with a decentralized ethos at its core allows for the achievement of this challenging goal. The main product enables users to upload files, allowing them to share them with organizations as needed, especially for services that demand documentation. The development of a platform that acts as a link between customers and nonprofit businesses forms the basis of this endeavor. Documents can be shared, uploaded, and put through verification on this platform. Additionally, this platform has tools that make it easier for users and nonprofits to communicate, all the while meeting the requirements of housing insecure who are at risk of losing important documents.

At a high level, our product, PASS(Personalized Access System For Services), is a platform designed to meet the needs of individuals facing housing insecurity while enabling nonprofit organizations to provide customized support. PASS prioritizes user control, data security, and collaboration.

• Objective:

PASS aims to empower individuals experiencing housing insecurity by giving them control over their information and fostering seamless interaction with nonprofit organizations to access essential services.

• Key Features:

  • Pod System: PASS introduces a unique pod system where both individuals (Clients) and nonprofit organizations (Organizations) have their secure data hubs. These pods serve as central places for document storage, communication, and data management.

  • Client-Centered Approach: PASS places Clients at the forefront. Clients can create their pods, manage their data, and decide who can access their information, putting them in charge of their journey towards stable housing.

  • Organization Engagement: Nonprofit Organizations can connect with Clients through their pods. They can provide services, upload documents, and offer assistance as Clients work towards securing housing.

  • Document Management: PASS supports secure document upload, verification, and storage within the platform. Organizations can verify important documents, ensuring they are genuine and reliable.

• Communication:

  PASS features a messaging system, facilitating real-time communication between Clients and Organizations. This streamlines collaboration and information sharing.

  • Notes and Case Management: Organizations can keep track of their interactions with Clients through notes. This ensures continuity of care and helps Case Managers stay informed about each Client's unique situation.

  • Data Control: PASS empowers Clients by allowing them to grant or revoke access to their information. Fine-grained access control ensures their privacy and data security.

• Beneficiaries:

  • Clients: PASS empowers individuals facing housing insecurity by giving them control over their data, providing access to crucial services, and offering a platform to connect with organizations for personalized support.

  • Nonprofit Organizations: Organizations benefit from streamlined data management, secure document handling, and improved communication with Clients. This enhances their ability to provide tailored assistance and support to those in need.

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Glossary of terms (nontechnical)

• Case Worker: A social worker who assists individuals experiencing home insecurity in receiving aid. The case worker may work for the government, or for a non-profit or mutual aid organization. The case worker is a professional with no particular computer program who could be working with several clients at a time in a variety of social situations, from stable office work to physically dangerous interactions.
• Client: An individual working with a case worker. The data stored in a PASS pod will belong to the client, and the logic around PASS will be processing the client’s own data. We generally expect clients to be people experiencing home insecurity in need of social support. They may not have a computer of their own, or even a permanent address.
• Organization: A government, non profit, or mutual aid organization to whom the case manager belongs. We can assume the organization is large enough to have a system administrator or tech director who could set up and organize PASS hosting.

MVP Features

• Organization Pod: The Organization Pod serves as the central hub for nonprofit organizations. It enables them to interact with clients, access and manage client data, upload important documents, and verify the authenticity of documents for various purposes such as eligibility verification.
• Organization Profile: The Organization Profile allows nonprofit organizations to store essential information about themselves, including their mission, contact details, and services offered. This profile data helps build trust and transparency with clients.
• Create Pod Organization: Creating an Organization Pod involves setting up a dedicated data storage space for the nonprofit organization within the PASS platform. It includes specifying the organization's name, contact information, and other relevant details.
• Add Case Manager: Case Managers act as intermediaries between the organization and clients. They have access to the Organization Pod, allowing them to coordinate and manage client services effectively.
• Case Manager: Organizations can appoint case managers to oversee client interactions and maintain seamless communication. They can request specific access permissions from clients, ensuring they can provide the necessary support. Additionally, Case Managers are responsible for document verification and maintaining detailed notes on client interactions.
• Create Pod Client: Creating a Client Pod involves individuals who are experiencing housing insecurity. It includes setting up their personal data storage space within the PASS platform, where they can manage their documents and interact with organizations.
• Client Pod: The Client Pod is the secure space where clients can upload and manage their documents, communicate with organizations, and control access to their data. It serves as a digital safe for clients.
• Client Profile: The Client Profile allows individuals to maintain a record of their personal information, contact details, and other relevant data. It empowers clients to take ownership of their information.
• Connect Client Pod with Organization Pod: This feature enables the establishment of a secure connection between a client and an organization, allowing for the provision of personalized services and document sharing while maintaining data privacy.
• Client List: The Client List serves as a comprehensive directory of all clients an organization has assisted. It includes essential client information and references to the client's data within the organization's Pod.
• Client Profile on Organization: When an organization connects with a client, it maintains a record of the client's data within its own Pod. This data includes information provided by the client and additional details collected during interactions with Case Workers.
• Read Access to Client Pod: Read access is essential for organizations to retrieve information from the client's Pod. Clients control and grant this access to ensure the privacy of their data.
• Write Access to Client Pod: Write access allows organizations to upload and update documents within the client's Pod, facilitating document management and support services.
• Remove Read Access to Client Pod: This feature enables both clients and organizations to revoke read access when necessary, ensuring data privacy and security.
• Remove Write Access to Client Pod: Removing write access allows clients and organizations to control who can make changes to the data within the client's Pod, enhancing data security.
• Upload Document: Document upload is a crucial feature for both clients and organizations. It allows for the secure storage and sharing of important documents of various types, aiding in the housing assistance process.
• Document Metadata: Document metadata includes details such as document type, upload date, and document owner. It helps in document organization and retrieval.
• Document Types: Certain document types, recognized as supported, can undergo verification through Case Workers. Other document types are accepted but may have limited metadata. Clients are subject to upload limits to ensure efficient document management.
• Verify Document: Verification ensures the authenticity of documents. Case Managers use public and private keys to perform this verification process.
• Write Document in Client Pod: This feature ensures that uploaded documents are securely stored within the client's Pod. Organizations must comply with this requirement when adding documents.
• Write Document in Organization Pod: Certain document types may be stored within the Organization Pod for specific purposes, such as archiving important documents relevant to the organization's operations.
• Send Message: Messaging functionality enables real-time communication between clients and organizations, fostering collaboration and support.
• Create Note: Note-taking is essential for organizations to document client interactions, track progress, and ensure a smooth transition when Case Managers change.
• Re-assign Case: Permits organizations to re-assign a case to allow continuance of service during things like illness, vacation or change of employment.
• Assign additional Case Manager: Similar to re-assign case, it may be beneficial to add an additional case worker instead of completely re-assigning.

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