Charities to join forces to keep track of clients

Charleston-area charities are going high-tech in tracking their clients, joining in a shared computer linkup that can follow individuals as they move from agency to agency.

Advocates say the network means a greater efficiency in delivering services while cutting duplication and attempts at cheating.

Dozens of organizations from the Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester county region are joining the system in a six-month pilot plan funded by the Trident United Way.

As envisioned, the link will allow agencies and churches to track when a customer comes in, reading information they may have provided another charity and what benefits they received.

Examples promoted by the group as time-saving measures include not forcing a family that spent a half-hour answering questions from one agency to sit through another round of similar questions at another.

The group also hopes to cut down on people taking advantage of charities.

Chuck Coward, executive director of Charleston Outreach, said the plan will assist everyone by streamlining limited assistance in a failing economy. The idea is to move people "from crisis to stability, and to self-sufficiency where it's possible," he said.

The data also will allow officials to look for patterns, such as if a family repeatedly seeks assistance for a utility bill and not learning to break the cycle of poverty.

Access to the information is restricted to those working in the charity, and the information is encrypted when stored, similar to what is done with on-line banking.

Police authorities could try to see the data if they were interested in a specific person, Coward said, but it would take a subpoena, as it did with charity records before the system was created.

Clients of the charities that are part of the system are made to sign a release so that their data can be shared.

Victoria Middleton, of the South Carolina ACLU office, said a key concern is making sure whatever information is released stays secure, and that charity clients know there is a chance that various people will see what is disclosed.

Katy Gerloff, of East Cooper Community Outreach, said the network will have real-world applications and help all sections of the region's charity umbrella.

"Right now I have no way of tracking my interaction" with clients, she said.

Reach Schuyler Kropf at 937-5551, or skropf@postandcourier.com.