Letter Asserts Data Sharing Is Crucial to Streamlining Program Access and Administration
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CLPHA and the MTW Collaborative have submitted comments on how HUD can improve access to public benefit programs. The letter highlights the importance of data sharing to streamline application processes, reduce administrative burdens, and eliminate duplicative data entry. PHAs must currently follow strict guidelines governing the sharing of applicant data. Data sharing will also ease the process of identifying eligible individuals, support targeted assistance, and enhance fraud detection. The comment letter also noted several necessary improvements to HUD’s various Data Dashboards. Adding helpful contextual information, improving the accuracy of the data shown on the dashboards, allowing stakeholders to download the data, and providing HUD Field Offices with training on the dashboards were among our recommendations. These improvements to the dashboards will improve access to public benefit programs by empowering PHAs to better advocate for resources to serve their residents. Overall, the letter recommends that HUD prioritize and develop a national strategy for cross-sector data sharing, publish guidance on data sharing, create and expand inter-agency data sharing agreements, and improve access to HUD data via the Data Dashboards.
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