Privacy
What we keep, and why.
Helping Homes is run by volunteers at Helping Group, a registered Australian charity. We collect as little as we can, only to connect people who need somewhere to go in an emergency with people who can help.
01 What we collect and why
Your name and mobile
So you can sign in with a text message code, and so people can contact you about an offer you post. We also text you every couple of weeks to check an offer is still available.
Your offers
Its address, town, description and what you can provide. The address is used to put the offer on the map.
Reports
Reports you make about an offer, so our volunteers can review them.
Technical information
Such as your IP address, which we use to stop spam and abuse, and anonymous usage statistics.
02 Who can see it
Anyone
An offer’s description, town and an approximate location. The pin on the map is moved 0.5 to 1.5 km from the real address, and the street address is never shown.
People who sign in
The name and mobile number on an offer, so they can call or text you. Please only post a number you’re happy to be contacted on.
Our volunteer moderators
Everything above, to remove spam and scams.
Nobody else
We never sell your information or use it for advertising.
03 Services we use, including overseas
Twilio
Sends our text messages, so it receives your mobile number. Stores it in the United States.
OpenFreeMap
Supplies the map, so it receives your IP address and the part of the map you’re looking at. Its servers are in Europe, delivered through Cloudflare’s worldwide network.
Mapbox
Finds addresses. When you create an offer, the address you search for (or the spot you drop a pin on) is sent to Mapbox from our server, not your browser. Stores it in the United States.
PostHog
Anonymous usage statistics, such as how many people open an offer. It doesn’t receive names, phone numbers, addresses or locations, and we don’t record your screen. Stores it in the United States.
Laravel Cloud
Hosts the Helping Homes website, its database and its cache in Sydney, Australia, so your account, offers and reports are stored here. Visits pass through Cloudflare’s network, which protects the site from attacks.
05 How long we keep it
Offers
Offers stay on the map until you pause or delete them, or stop confirming they’re available.
Deleted offers
Kept for up to a year in case someone reports a problem, then erased for good.
Your account
Delete it any time and your name and number go straight away.
06 Your choices
Your offers
Edit, pause or delete them from the menu at any time.
Your account
Choose “Delete my account” in the menu.
A copy or a correction
Email [email protected] to get a copy of your information or correct it.
07 · Questions and complaints