Who operates HelpSignal
HelpSignal is created and operated by HelpSignal LLC. HelpSignal is a Colorado Springs community resource platform and provider-controlled public status tool. It helps residents find local support using the latest provider-reported status.
Public use without an account
Public users can browse HelpSignal without creating an account. HelpSignal does not require public users to create a profile before searching or viewing public listings.
Information collected from public users
- Search inputs and filters, including search text, category, city, ZIP code, the not-closed-today filter, and other public search filters.
- Page views on public pages, resource views, and limited interaction data, including call-button clicks, website-button clicks, copy-address actions, category-filter use, resource-card views, availability-alert creation, Community Report form opens and submissions, listing-claim submissions, pilot-page views, and install-prompt views. These records hold the listing, category and status shown, not what a person typed.
- An anonymous browser ID and first-arrival information, described under Cookies, analytics, and similar technologies below.
- Optional feedback a user submits about a listing, including an optional contact email if the user chooses to provide one.
- Approximate or precise location only when a user chooses a browser-based near-me search; HelpSignal can store latitude, longitude, radius, city, ZIP code, and related filter details as part of the anonymous search record for that search.
- Optional availability-alert requests, including an email address or browser push subscription details when a user asks to receive those alerts.
- Community Reports a person chooses to send: the situation and category, the listing or place name, the report type and any status reported, an optional description, the address of the place being reported, optional evidence notes and a source link, an optional email or phone number for one follow-up question, the language used, and a salted one-way hash of the network address for abuse prevention. Reports are reviewed before anything is published and are never shown with the reporter's contact details.
- Listing claims, when someone asks to take over a public listing for their organization: the person's name and job title, the organization name, an organization email, a phone number, the preferred contact method, the language used, and a salted one-way hash of the network address for abuse prevention. These are used only to verify and answer the claim.
Information collected from participating providers and provider staff
- Provider pilot intake details, including organization information, public listing details, service details, updater contacts, communication preferences, and electronic signature details.
- Public resource information providers approve for display, such as resource names, categories, public descriptions, hours, instructions, phone numbers, and public notes.
- Provider SMS link requests, including the requested phone number, optional contact name, optional contact email, and optional notes.
- Provider status-update records, including status changes, timestamps, notes, available-unit values, the source of the update, and related reminder-consent or opt-out records tied to provider update links.
Account and authentication information
Provider and admin accounts are handled through Clerk. HelpSignal stores account-related fields that are synced into the application database, including Clerk user ID, email address, name fields, phone number if provided, role, provider affiliation, active status, and account timestamps.
Email and text-message communications
HelpSignal uses text messages and email for operational provider communications, such as onboarding, listing verification, reusable update links, status reminders, service updates, provider-intake follow-up, and SMS-link review. HelpSignal also supports resident availability alerts by email and web push. Resident SMS alerts and resident saved-resource notifications are not currently offered.
Providers can opt into operational text messages and can opt out by replying STOP. Providers can ask for help by replying HELP. Operational reminder emails can be turned off by contacting HelpSignal.
Cookies, analytics, and similar technologies
HelpSignal uses privacy-minded analytics on the public site. The product-event endpoint does not accept free-text personal information.
Anonymous browser ID. When a browser first opens a public HelpSignal page, HelpSignal sets a first-party cookie holding a random ID. The ID is not built from your name, contact details, network address or device characteristics, and it is not used to fingerprint your device. It identifies a browser, not a person. HelpSignal stores only a salted one-way hash of it, and uses it to count unique browsers, recognize a browser that returns on a later day, and tie that browser's page views, searches, listing views and actions together for pilot reporting. Page scripts cannot read the cookie, it is not shared with advertisers or other third parties, and it expires 90 days after it is set. Deleting your cookies removes it.
First-arrival information. With the same cookie, HelpSignal records once how the browser first arrived: the campaign tags on HelpSignal's own links and QR codes (for example, that the link came from a printed flyer or a community partner), the name of the referring website without the rest of its address, and the path of the first page opened. It is used only to see which outreach channels bring people to HelpSignal.
Other browser storage. HelpSignal also uses a browser cookie to manage availability alerts for the browser that created them, and may use local browser storage for interface preferences such as install-hint dismissal. Signed-in provider and admin areas may still rely on authentication or session technologies from Clerk.
Vercel Web Analytics. HelpSignal also uses Vercel Web Analytics, which does not use cookies, to count page views, referring sites, and device and country mix. Before a page address is sent to Vercel, HelpSignal removes typed search text, near-me coordinates, city and ZIP searches, filter choices and every other query detail except HelpSignal's own campaign tags, and never sends admin pages or provider token links.
Analytics and abuse-prevention records can include the hashed browser ID, a daily salted session hash, coarse device category, stripped page paths, first-arrival information, and related timestamps. Browsers that identify themselves as automated (bots) are not given a browser ID and are left out of pilot counts; this filtering depends on how a bot identifies itself and is not perfect. Browsers used by HelpSignal staff and testers are marked so they can be left out of official pilot reports; their records are kept, not deleted. HelpSignal uses these records to understand pilot usage and protect the service, not to build advertising profiles.
How HelpSignal uses information
- To publish and maintain public provider listings and the latest provider-reported status.
- To review provider pilot participation, listing permissions, status-update methods, and communication preferences.
- To operate provider reminder flows, inbound SMS processing, email notifications, feedback review, abuse prevention, analytics, and pilot reporting.
- To protect the service, investigate misuse, rate-limit public forms, and maintain administrative records.
Audit logs and timestamps
HelpSignal keeps timestamps and operational audit trails for searches, analytics events, provider status updates, SMS webhook activity, reminder sends, public feedback, provider SMS link requests, provider pilot intake submissions, and alert delivery attempts.
What HelpSignal does not intentionally collect
- Client records, protected health information, medical information, case notes, Social Security numbers, immigration documentation, or other sensitive client information through the pilot intake or provider update tools.
- Resident accounts or saved-resource histories. HelpSignal currently offers resident availability alerts by email and web push, but does not currently offer resident SMS alerts or saved-resource notifications.
- Raw search-query strings in analytics event page-path URLs, because the analytics event pipeline strips query strings before saving page paths.
- Device fingerprints. The anonymous browser ID is random and is not derived from device or network characteristics.
Service providers and subprocessors
- Clerk for provider and administrator authentication.
- Vercel and related hosting infrastructure, including Vercel Web Analytics on the public site.
- Hosted PostgreSQL database infrastructure configured by HelpSignal.
- Twilio for operational provider SMS delivery and inbound SMS processing.
- SendGrid for operational email delivery.
- Cloudflare Turnstile on selected public forms.
- Browser push-delivery services used by a person's device vendor or browser when that person opts into web push alerts.
Sale of data and targeted advertising
HelpSignal does not sell personal information and does not use personal information for targeted advertising. HelpSignal is not built as an advertising platform.
Retention
HelpSignal keeps information only as long as reasonably needed to operate the pilot, maintain listings, review submissions, investigate misuse, and prepare pilot reporting. Availability alerts are designed to expire after about 30 days, related alert-notification records are designed to be purged after about 90 days, and some records such as feedback, SMS requests, and pilot intakes are retained until they are reviewed or resolved. HelpSignal does not currently rely on a fully automated deletion schedule for every data category.
Security
HelpSignal uses administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to reduce risk, including authentication for protected areas, form rate-limiting, CAPTCHA on selected public forms, security headers, provider/admin role separation, and Twilio signature verification for inbound SMS webhooks. No method of storage or transmission is guaranteed to be completely secure.
Choices, access, correction, and deletion requests
Public users can browse without an account and can choose whether to provide an optional contact email in feedback forms. Providers can choose whether to opt into operational texts or reminder emails. Requests for access, correction, or deletion can be sent to HelpSignal at the contact address below, and HelpSignal will review them in light of operational, security, and legal needs.
Children's privacy
HelpSignal is not designed for children and is not intended to collect personal information from children. If HelpSignal learns that personal information from a child was submitted through the service, it will review and remove or limit that information as appropriate.
External provider websites and phone numbers
Public listings may include third-party phone numbers and provider websites. HelpSignal does not control those third-party services and is not responsible for their privacy or security practices.
Changes to this policy
HelpSignal may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date and last-updated date at the top of this page show the current version.
Contact
Questions or requests about this Privacy Policy may be sent to: info@helpsignal.org
HelpSignal shows the latest provider-reported status. Availability can change after an update. Confirm urgent details with the provider. HelpSignal is not an emergency-response service.