CALGARY DROP-IN CENTRE
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“ THE CLIENT OWNS THE KEY , AND THE DATA IS ANONYMOUS WITHOUT THEM BEING THERE ”
— Helen Knight CIO / Director of Technology Calgary Drop-in and Rehab Centre a system than a person ,” she admits . “ On 3 January , we put a client selfserve kiosk in the dining hall of the Calgary Drop-In Centre . The feedback from the clients has been very positive . Wedesigned this kiosk with our wood shop , where our clients learn woodworking skills , added a touchscreen monitor , and a donated PC . We built it so that you could use a wheelchair or a chair , so we didn ’ t have to move the screens around to account for height differences . All it does right now is two things : it plays a video on data sharing , why we want your data , and that it is safe and secure ; and it presents a form where you can tell us what your barriers are to finding housing .”
The form asks questions used to identify the client ’ s barriers to housing : “ For example , are you comfortable talking to a landlord ?” says Knight . “ Some people can be afraid of authority and may not be comfortable speaking to a landlord . If we identify that is a barrier , we ’ ll go with them .” Knight notes that a client ’ s mistrust for human authority may result in a reluctance to reveal the information that would result in them receiving help – but the kiosk
MARCH 2019