Charlotte-Mecklenburg Featured in New Toolkit

Image Credit: Chrissie Bonner, Illustrating Progress

Last week, Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP) released A Toolkit for Centering Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration 2.0. The toolkit which was first released in 2020, helps organizations mitigate bias in data practices. Version 2.0 expands this work by adding strategies for handling Race, Ethnicity, Language, Disability (RELD) and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGIE) data, working with Tribal Data, and managing risks associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI). In addition the updated toolkit provides a companion workbook and provides additional examples of Work in Action. Charlotte-Mecklenburg is one of the communities featured as a Work in Action example.

This blog provides an overview of the toolkit and highlights the Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s featured work.

ABOUT THE TOOLKIT

Toolkit for Centering Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration 2.0, is focused on supporting organizations in integrating racial equity into their data practices by providing strategies, examples, and guidance on embedding equity considerations at every stage of the data life cycle. By integrating equity across each phase, the toolkit aims to ensure data practices are equitable, inclusive, and  reduce bias and harm.

The toolkit provides guidance on how to assess and develop the infrastructure necesscary to engage in this work. It also provides strategies to center racial equity across six key aspects of the data life cycle (planning, data collection, data access, data analysis, use of algorithms and AI, and reporting and dissemination) as well as important considerations when working with tribal and indigenous data.

Each section provides “Work in Action” examples which showcase how communities are engaging in and successfully implementing the strategies outlined in this toolkit.

CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG WORK IN ACTION

In both the 2020 and 2025 releases of the toolkit, Charlotte-Mecklenburg is featured for centering race equity in planning. Centering race equity in the planning stage is essential to ensure that equity is embedded in all other aspects of the data life cycle.

In 2014, Mecklenburg County (NC) Community Support Services invested in two new positions tasked with improving data collection, access, and community use of data: the Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) Administrator and the Homelessness & Housing Data and Research Coordinator. Both positions demonstrated Mecklenburg County’s investment in and commitment to collecting high-quality, useful, and timely data, and supporting community organizations and members in making those data actionable. The HMIS Administrator worked to expand community access to high-quality, accurate data on housing and homelessness by implementing best practices for data collection and analysis, engaging and onboarding diverse community partners to the HMIS system, and ensuring that high-quality data were available to partners. The Homelessness & Housing Research Coordinator connected constituents with research and data to inform programming, policy, and funding decisions related to housing instability and homelessness. In 2018, as a result of expanded community use of HMIS and changes to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) expectations related to HMIS data, Mecklenburg County, as the HMIS Lead, applied through the Continuum of Care (CoC) grant program to fund one additional staff person. During this time, Mecklenburg County Community Support Services also repurposed an existing internal role to create a third HMIS staff position. Both positions were filled in 2019, bringing the total number of HMIS staff to three. Today, while these staff work collaboratively, each has a designated roles that focus on the following areas of expertise: (1) training and data collection, (2) reporting, and (3) privacy and governance. In addition, the Homelessness & Housing Research Coordinator has implemented a participatory approach and partners with community stakeholders, data partners, and persons with lived experience of housing insecurity to expand and enhance the communication and use of homelessness and housing data in Mecklenburg County.