Blockchain initiative moves forward

The city’s push to utilize blockchain technology as a way to assist the local homeless population takes its next step today with the new MyPass Initiative. As an incentive to encourage homeless residents to provide their vital personal information for storage on a blockchain platform, the city and other community organizations created a pop-up resource clinic at Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center, on Gonzales Street near Pedernales Street in East Austin. Representatives from Dell Medical School at the University of Texas, the city’s Innovation Office and Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services will be on hand to assist visitors and explain the process, which is intended to make it easier to compile and track health and other information so people have better access to housing, health, employment and other resources for the homeless. Austin is funding the program using some of the $100,000 it received as one of 35 Champion Cities in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2018 Mayors Challenge to create new solutions for civic problems. One grand-prize winner will receive $5 million in October, with four runner-up cities receiving $1 million each, to fully develop their solutions.