Operating Model

Operating model and accountability

On Record is a support and routing layer. It should make responses visible without turning understaffed providers into a public shame list or exposing the person who asked for help.

Safe interaction

Intake is advocate-mediated, consented, de-identified, and reviewed before publication. The public may make a structured offer—an item, fee, or service—but cannot comment directly on a person’s record. Offers go through moderation and routing; names and contact details are not required.

Neutral response events

Use received, acknowledged, needs-information, referred, scheduled, completed-by-provider, confirmed-by-requester, declined, expired, and withdrawn. Every event has an actor, timestamp, reason, visibility, and correction path. Never infer “fraud,” “no-show,” or “uncooperative” from silence.

Providers may acknowledge, defer with a date, or decline with a reason. The requester or advocate decides whether a response is actually complete. Public reporting should show context—capacity, eligibility, closure, staffing, and integration freshness—and aggregate outcomes, not punitive rankings.

Appeals and moderation

Moderation decisions are reversible, time-limited, and explained in plain language. Provide abuse reporting, rate limits, accessible alternatives, and a safe escalation route. Track aggregate appeals and reversals without publishing a person-level history.

Do not duplicate authoritative systems

Do not ask shelters to maintain a second public bed inventory. Keep operational feeds private, authorized, freshness-labeled, and never a placement guarantee. HMIS/coordinated entry remains the governed system for protected program and client data.