MAACLink Client Privacy Notice

All clients receiving services will be asked for permission to put information about them and the services they received into MAACLink. MAACLink is a computer system that stores personally-identifiable information on persons served by emergency aid and homeless service providers in the Topeka area.

The MAACLink system is used by agencies in the community for the following purposes:

1. To provide better service on a case-by-case basis for low-income, homeless or other  individuals by helping them improve their current or future situations.
2. Coordinating services given between agencies to make the system more fair for all who benefit from it.
3. Tracking the effectiveness of service efforts to look for client populations who may be underserved.
4. Reporting aggregate (non-identifiable) data to HUD in order to bring more federal dollars into the community for low-income or homeless people.
5. Accounting for private assistance dollars and services.

MAACLink is not connected to any federal or national data collection facility.

MAACLink data is collected locally and will never be electronically fed into a national database for homeless or low-income individuals.

You own your own file.

Therefore you have the right to request a print-out of your MAACLink file or view your file on-screen with an agency representative.  

You must grant informed consent to be entered into the MAACLink system.

If you have additional questions or feel unsure about whether or not you want to participate, talk to your agency representative or call the Community Resources Council at (785) 233-1365.  

If you do not agree to participate in MAACLink, you may become ineligible for certain privately-donated and other local funds.

This does not necessarily mean you will become ineligible for service, but it could limit the funding sources available for that service. Because some private funds are tracked through the MAACLink system, the funders have the right to determine eligibility criteria.

Your trust is important to us.

Your personal information is handled and viewed ONLY by people who have received training from the Mid America Assistance Coalition and have signed the User Statement of Confidentiality. By signing the User Statement of Confidentiality, MAACLink users agree to adhere to the following privacy standards:

• Users cannot share log-in names or passwords and must keep their passwords secure.
• Users do not share client-specific MAACLink information with people who are not trained, authorized users. (This includes law enforcement officials, family members or landlords who may call by phone looking for information.)
• All paper print-outs from MAACLink are kept in secure files at the agency or they are destroyed after use.  

The agency or organization that is working with you will be able to provide you with a list of partner agencies that share your basic client information.  

You may revoke your consent to be entered into the MAACLink system by asking your agency representative for a Client Revocation Form. This revocation right does not apply to services that have been provided from a private funding source that requires documentation to be entered into MAACLink to determine eligibility. These services cannot be removed.  

This privacy notice may be amended at any time. Amendments may affect information obtained by the organization before the date of the change.