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A Tool to Help People Struggling with Housing Insecurity Manage Important Documents
PASS
For individuals experiencing housing insecurity, the struggle to protect important documents is a constant challenge. Losing or damaging these documents often hinders their ability to access essential social services. To address this widespread problem Open PDX initiated a transformative project last December. What began as an effort to provide secure online document storage has now evolved into a comprehensive platform called PASS (Personal Accessible System for Services), aiming to streamline interactions between individuals and municipal and social service providers. PASS is a groundbreaking platform designed to tackle the challenges related to document storage and access among homeless and home insecure populations. It goes beyond offering a safe space for digital document storage; it creates a complete ecosystem connecting non-profit organizations, caseworkers, and the individuals they serve.
A Place to Keep Documents
Centralized data storage involves consolidating data from various sources into a central repository or database. It offers benefits such as data consolidation, standardized management, and simplified governance. However, it faces challenges related to scalability, data silos, and dependency on a single system. Data warehouses, a type of centralized storage, focus on aggregating data for analysis and reporting, offering benefits like data integration and historical analysis. Yet, they present challenges such as data latency, complexity, and data modeling. On the other hand, decentralized data storage, exemplified by Personalized Online Data Stores (PODS), emphasizes user control and privacy. PODS enable individuals to store, manage, and control access to their personal data, preserving privacy and granting data portability. Users have the power to make decisions regarding data sharing and maintain ownership over their information. However, decentralized storage can lead to data fragmentation and pose challenges in terms of integration and analysis across disparate sources. Security and trust are also significant concerns that must be addressed to prevent unauthorized access or breaches. Widespread adoption of decentralized storage relies on establishing standards, protocols, and user-friendly interfaces to facilitate seamless data management and interoperability.
Non-Profit & Caseworker Integration
The platform facilitates smooth communication between non-profit organizations, caseworkers, and the individuals they serve. Non-profit organizations can maintain a client list, and caseworkers are assigned clients whose information they can access securely.
Support Services
Verified documents stored in PASS can be used to facilitate access to services like housing support and shelter accommodation. The platform simplifies the process of submitting necessary documents for such services. In our ongoing commitment to providing superior service to those experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, we have built the Personal Accessible System for Services (PASS) system using Personal Online Data Stores (PODS). We have implemented these PODS using open source SOLID technology which is an innovative decentralized web platform and protocol that empowers users with unprecedented data ownership, control, and privacy.
A Closer Look at PASS
In today's digital environment, safeguarding personal data has become more crucial than ever, especially for individuals facing homelessness or housing insecurity. That's why we, at Open PDX, have designed the PASS (Personal Accessible System for Services) platform, utilizing SOLID technology - an innovative decentralized web platform and protocol that empowers users with data ownership, control, and privacy. SOLID’s architecture forms the foundation of PASS, ensuring robust data security for sensitive documents.
SOLID Technology
SOLID (SOcial LInked Data) introduces a new approach to data storage and privacy, allowing users to have complete control over their information. A central concept of SOLID is the Personal Online Data Store (PODS), which acts as a digital container for users' data. PODS can be hosted by any compliant provider or self-hosted, ensuring decentralization and granting users full control over their data. Furthermore, SOLID employs Web Access Control (WAC) to manage access to the data stored within PODS. This access control mechanism enables users to set specific permissions, determining who can view, modify, or share their data. These layers of control and privacy provide users with unparalleled security, ensuring that their sensitive information remains under their control.
Decentralized versus Centralized Platforms
Applications based on decentralized data offer significant advantages compared to those based on centralized data. Firstly, decentralized applications empower users with data ownership and control, allowing them to determine who can access and utilize their data. This enhances privacy and security, as data is distributed across a network of nodes, making it more resilient to breaches and failures. Decentralized systems also promote interoperability, as they adhere to open standards and protocols, enabling seamless data sharing between different applications and platforms. Additionally, decentralized applications reduce dependency on central authorities, fostering community governance and consensus decision-making. This democratized approach ensures transparency and reduces the risk of data misuse or censorship. Overall, decentralized applications offer greater user control, privacy, security, resilience, interoperability, and community participation, making them a compelling choice for a more inclusive and trustworthy digital ecosystem.

The SOLID Advantage
  1. Data Ownership and Control: SOLID puts data ownership back into the hands of users. With SOLID, individuals have control over where their data is stored and who can access it. This shift empowers users to make informed decisions about their data and reduces reliance on centralized platforms that accumulate and control user data.
  2. Privacy: SOLID enhances privacy by allowing users to choose which applications and entities can access their data. Users can grant specific permissions, determining who can view, modify, or share their information. This user-centric approach minimizes the risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and misuse of personal data.
  3. Interoperability: SOLID promotes interoperability between applications and platforms. By adopting SOLID standards, applications can seamlessly share and exchange data, regardless of the underlying technology or provider. This interoperability encourages collaboration and innovation while reducing data silos.
  4. Decentralization: SOLID's architecture is built on the principle of decentralization. Each user has their own Personal Online Data Store (PODS), which can be hosted by any compliant provider or self-hosted. This decentralization ensures that users have full control over their data and are not dependent on a single central authority.
  5. Security: SOLID employs robust security measures to protect user data. The use of Web Access Control (WAC) allows users to set specific permissions for accessing their data, ensuring that only authorized individuals or applications can interact with it. The decentralized nature of SOLID also adds an extra layer of security, reducing the risk of large-scale data breaches.
  6. User Empowerment: By utilizing SOLID technology, applications can empower users to actively participate in the digital landscape. Users have the freedom to choose how their data is utilized, who can access it, and can even develop their own applications on top of the SOLID platform. This user-centric approach puts individuals in control of their online presence.

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