Clinton Housing Development Company Privacy Policy
CHDC understands the importance of protecting the personal information of tenants, staff, apartment applicants, and employment applicants from identity theft.
This policy describes the privacy practices of CHDC at all of our office locations. This policy covers the collection, use, maintenance, and destruction of protected personal information.
Personally Identifiable Information/Protected Identifying Information (PII) is any personal information CHDC maintains about a tenant or employee that:
1. Allows identification of an individual directly or indirectly
2. Can be manipulated by a reasonably foreseeable method to identify a specific individual
3. Can be linked with other available information to identify a specific individual
CHDC adopted this policy in compliance with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development standards for Homeless Management Information Systems. CHDC intends our policy and practices to be consistent with those standards. See 69 Federal Register 45888 (July 30, 2004).
This policy informs our clients, our staff, our applicants, and others how CHDC processes personal information. CHDC follows the policy and practices described in this privacy policy.
CHDC may amend the policy or practices at any time. Amendments may affect PII that CHDC obtained before the effective date of the amendment.
CHDC gives a printed copy of this privacy policy to any individual who asks for it.
CHDC maintains a copy of this policy on our CHDC website at www.clintonhousing.org.
How and Why CHDC Collects PII
1. CHDC collects PII only when appropriate to provide services, or for another specific purpose of our
Organization, or when required by law. CHDC may collect information for these purposes:
a. To verify the identity of potential tenants and employees
b. To verify eligibility of potential tenants for specific units with income requirements
c. To provide individual case management for tenants
d. To produce aggregate-level reports regarding tenants’ use of services
e. To track individual tenants’ project-level outcomes
f. To identify unfilled service needs and plan for the provision of new services for tenants
g. To accomplish any and all other purposes deemed appropriate by the CCoC
2. CHDC only uses lawful and fair means to collect PII.
3. CHDC normally collects PII with the knowledge or consent of our tenants, employees, and applicants. If you seek our assistance and provide us with PII, CHDC assumes that you consent to the collection of information described in this policy.
4. For existing and potential tenants, CHDC shares this data with the NYC Department of Social Services (DSS), Federal Homeless Policy and Reporting unit (FHPR) a/k/a/ the “HUD CoC unit”: the agency appointed by the CCoC to manage all PII records about our clients. This agency is required to maintain the confidentiality of the data.
5. CHDC posts a sign at the Front Desk and main office location explaining the reasons CHDC asks for PII. The sign says CHDC Privacy Notice.
How CHDC Uses and Discloses PII
1. CHDC uses or discloses PII for activities described in this part of the policy. CHDC may or may not make any of these uses or disclosures of your PII. CHDC assumes that you consent to the use or disclosure of your PII for the purposes described below and for other uses and disclosures that CHDC determines to be compatible with these uses or disclosures:
a. To provide or coordinate services to individuals
b. For functions related to payment or reimbursement for services
c. To carry out administrative functions such as legal audits, personnel oversight, and management functions
d. To create de-identified (anonymous) information
e. When required by law to the extent that use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the requirements of the law
f. To avert a serious threat to health or safety if:
i. CHDC believes that the use or disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of an individual or the public; and
ii. The use or disclosure is made to a person reasonably able to prevent or lessen the threat, including the target of the threat.
g. To report about an individual CHDC reasonably believes to be a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence to a governmental authority (including a social service or protective services agency) authorized by law to receive reports of abuse, neglect or domestic violence in any of the following three circumstances:
i. Where the disclosure is required by law and the disclosure complies with and is
ii. If the individual agrees to the disclosure; or
iii. To the extent that the disclosure is expressly authorized by statute or regulation and either of the following are applicable:
A. CHDC believes the disclosure is necessary to prevent serious harm to the individual or other potential victims; or
B. If the individual is unable to agree because of incapacity, a law enforcement or other public official authorized to receive the report represents that the PII for which disclosure is sought is not intended to be used against the individual and that an immediate enforcement activity that depends upon the disclosure would be materially and adversely affected by waiting until the individual is able to agree to the disclosure;
iv. When CHDC makes a permitted disclosure about a victim of abuse, neglect, or
domestic violence, CHDC will promptly inform the individual who is the victim that a disclosure has been or will be made, except if:
A. CHDC, in the exercise of professional judgment, believes informing the individual would place the individual at risk of serious harm; or
B. CHDC would be informing a personal representative (such as a family member or friend), and CHDC reasonably believes the personal representative is responsible for the abuse, neglect or other injury, and that informing the personal representative would not be in the best interests of the individual as CHDC determines in the exercise of our professional judgment.
h. To a law enforcement official for a law enforcement purpose (if consistent with
applicable law and standards of ethical conduct) under any of these circumstances:
i. In response to a lawful court order, court-ordered warrant, subpoena or summons issued by a judicial officer, or a grand jury subpoena;
ii. If the law enforcement official makes a written request for PII that:
A. Is signed by a supervisory official of the law enforcement agency seeking the PII;
B. States that the information is relevant and material to a legitimate law enforcement investigation;
C. Identifies the PII sought;
D. Is specific and limited in scope to the extent reasonably practicable in light of the purpose for which the information is sought; and
E. States that de-identified information could not be used to accomplish the purpose of the disclosure.
iii. If CHDC believes in good faith that the PII constitutes evidence of criminal conduct that occurred on our premises;
iv. In response to an oral request for the purpose of identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person and the PII disclosed consists only of name, address, date of birth, place of birth, social security number, and distinguishing physical characteristics; or if:
A. The official is an authorized federal official seeking PII for the provision of protective services to the President or other persons authorized by 18 U.S.C. 3056, or to foreign heads of state or other persons authorized by 22 U.S.C. 2709(a)(3), or for the conduct of investigations authorized by 18 U.S.C. 871 and 879 (threats against the President and others); and
B. The information requested is specific and limited in scope to the extent reasonably practicable in light of the purpose for which the information is sought.
i. To comply with government reporting obligations for HMIS and for oversight of compliance with HMIS requirements for tenants
j. To third parties for the following purposes for tenants or potential tenants:
A. To permit other systems of care to conduct data matches (i.e., to determine
if you are also utilizing services from such other systems of care); and
B. To permit third party research firms and/or evaluators to perform research and evaluation services in connection with the programs administered by the CCoC and the other agencies;
C. Provided that before PII is disclosed under this subsection, the third party that will receive such PII and use it as permitted above must first execute a Data Use & Disclosure Agreement requiring such third party to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including the privacy standards and disclosure provisions contained in the Department of Housing and Urban Development Homeless Management Information Systems; Data and Technical Standards Final Notice (see 69 Federal Register 45888 (July 30, 2004)), which such standards and provisions are reflected herein.
2. Before CHDC makes any use or disclosure of your PII that is not described here, CHDC seeks your consent first.
1. You may inspect and have a copy of your PII that CHDC maintains. CHDC will offer to explain any information that you may not understand.
2. CHDC will consider a request from you for correction of inaccurate or incomplete PII that CHDC maintains about you. If CHDC agrees that the information is inaccurate or incomplete, CHDC may delete it or CHDC may choose to mark it as inaccurate or incomplete and to supplement it with additional information.
3. CHDC may deny your request for inspection or copying of PII if:
a. The information was compiled in reasonable anticipation of litigation or comparable proceedings;
b. The information is about another individual (other than a health care provider or homeless provider);
c. The information was obtained under a promise of confidentiality (other than a promise from a health care provider or homeless provider) and if the disclosure would reveal the source of the information; or
d. Disclosure of the information would be reasonably likely to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual.
4. If CHDC denies a request for access or correction, CHDC will explain the reason for the denial. CHDC will also include, as part of the PII that CHDC maintains, documentation of the request and the reason for the denial.
5. CHDC may reject repeated or harassing requests for access to or correction of PII.
1. CHDC collects only PII that is relevant to the purposes for which CHDC plan to use it. To the extent necessary for those purposes, CHDC seeks to maintain only PII that is accurate, complete and timely.
2. CHDC will dispose of PII not in current use seven years after the information was created or last changed. As an alternative to disposal, CHDC may choose to remove identifiers from the PII.
3. CHDC may keep information for a longer period if required to do so by an applicable statute, regulation, contract or other requirement.
1. CHDC accepts and considers questions or complaints about our privacy and security policies and practices. You may ask your Property Manager.
2. All members of our staff (including employees, volunteers, affiliates, contractors and associates) are required to comply with this privacy policy. Each staff member must receive and acknowledge receipt of a copy of this privacy policy.
3. In the event that your question or complaint is not sufficiently addressed through this organization, tenants may take your concerns to the Grievance Committee of the CCoC. Individuals will submit grievances in writing to the co-chairs. The co-chairs will pass the grievance to the Grievance Committee, which will review it and make a recommendation back to the co-chairs. The co-chairs will make the final decision about the outcome and notify you. More information about this Committee can be found at www.nychomeless.com. Additionally tenants may take concerns to the NYC Commission on Human Rights. Employees and potential employees may take concerns to CHDC’s HR Manager.