The city wants to give its 7,000 citizens without permanent homes "[u]nique digital identifiers" to help them get reliable access to services.

Last week, Bloomberg Philanthropies awarded up to $100,000 to 35 projects as part of the initial phase of the 2018 US Mayors Challenge.
One of those project is from Austin; the city aims to use blockchain technology—the kind that is used in cryptocurrency—to make it easier for the city's estimated 7,000 homeless residents to access services. The proposal was inspired by efforts to use blockchain ID for Syrian refugees.
"The technology could be used to create unique digital identifiers for homeless people, allowing them to reestablish the credibility of their housing, health, and employment records and help put them on the road to recovery."
Housing prices and homelessness are up in a number of major U.S. cities, and Austin is not the first to look to the tech industry for a solution; Berkeley is considering using blockchain to issue tokens that could be redeemed at local stores. The goal of selling such tokens would be to raise money for affordable housing.
FULL STORY: Austin wants to use blockchain technology to help the homeless

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
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MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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