Personal information is information such as your:

• Name
• Phone number
• Medical reports
• Relationships
• Address
• Any other private reports that identify who you are

Personal information can be given, used, and shared in ways such as:

• Writing
• Speaking
• Photographs
• Through a computer

People can give HOMES their okay to collect, keep, use, or share personal information in writing or by speaking to HOMES staff.

• Personal information belongs to each person.
• Adults have the power to make the decisions about how their personal information is collected, used, and shared with others.
• Sometimes, a family member or advocate of an adult has the power by law to make decisions about the person’s personal information.
• Children’s parents or legal guardians have the power to make the decisions about how their personal information is collected, used, and shared with others.
• The information that HOMES has about a person will not be shared without that person’s or guardian’s approval.

• People have the right to look at or check their personal information at any time to make sure it is correct.
• People can ask that information be changed if they believe the information is wrong.
• People have the right to take away HOMES’s permission to use their personal information, and HOMES will stop right away.
• HOMES will clearly tell the stakeholder what the possible results would be for taking away their consent.

• HOMES will inform all stakeholders about how it will use personal information before or when the person gives the information to us.
• HOMES will not use personal information for other reasons without asking for the person’s okay unless required by law, or if there was a large concern about the person’s health and safety.

HOMES will protect personal information in ways such as:

• Locked cabinets
• Password codes to computers
• Confidentiality statements signed by all HOMES staff
• Putting files away as soon as they are finished being used

HOMES has a Privacy Officer who makes sure all the British Columbia and Canada laws and HOMES policies about keeping personal information safe and protected are followed.