Our Data Sharing Agreement

BC Rent Bank’s work includes a commitment to enhancing the coordinated collection and sharing of data, which so far has led to improved access to services, greater responsiveness to renters’ needs, and enhanced rent bank efficiency. Last year, some activities undertaken in pursuit of this priority were: 

• Improving reporting capabilities within our client management system to better support research, evaluation, and advocacy initiatives 

• Launching renter experience and housing stability surveys to better understand the impact of the rent bank program and improve service delivery 

• Implementing a demographic survey to better understand who is (and is not) accessing rent bank services 

In line with this work and strategic commitment, BC Rent Bank created a data sharing agreement. 

Our organization collects and maintains information on eviction prevention and housing stability through our work, which may be able to assist local planning tables, governments and researchers, and other agencies that serve or work on behalf of renters who may be experiencing housing precarity. These groups can now submit a “Request for Data Information” form and put BC Rent Bank’s collected data to wider use. 

The information we can share includes three primary data sources: data from all applications received by rent banks in B.C., data from approved applications, and data from the voluntary demographic survey. 

The agreement also outlines data sharing tiers to ensure appropriate access controls and that the data that is shared is based on need and done in a manner that protects the rights and privacy of third parties. All data designated to be shared is prepared or formatted in a manner that is consistent with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act of B.C. 

This work is aligned with our host organization Vancity Community Foundation’s commitment to using its resources to build deeper capacity in the non-profit sector. VCF does this by supporting partners through training, technical aid and collaborative opportunities, strengthening community capacity, and building more resilient and equitable organizations. 

Together, these efforts deepen our collective capacity to support renters and prevent housing instability across B.C. We look forward to seeing how this new data sharing agreement assists partners in creating meaningful, evidence-driven solutions for renters.