Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

We collect only the information needed to provide services to you. The main categories:

• Identifiers

  Name, date of birth, address, phone, email — only what is needed to reach and serve you.

• Contact preferences

  Preferred language, safe ways to contact you (call/text/voicemail), notes on whether an interpreter is needed.

• Program information

  The type of service you request, what you receive, and post-service outcomes — used to improve support.

• Financial information (when applicable)

  Household size and estimated income, used solely to determine a sliding-scale fee or program eligibility. We never collect card or bank account numbers on this website.

• Protected health information (HIPAA)

  If you receive mental-health counseling or health screenings, those records are kept in a separate HIPAA-compliant system — never on this website. The Mental Health Intake form is completed with a counselor, on paper or a HIPAA-compliant system, never on the public website.

2. How we use your information

• Contact you about the service you request — within one business day.
• Assemble forms, records, or referrals to the right partner (e.g., clinic, attorney).
• Determine a sliding-scale fee or program eligibility.
• Improve our services and language based on anonymous feedback.
• Meet funder and regulatory reporting requirements — always in aggregate, de-identified form.

We do not use your information for advertising or commercial marketing.

3. Sharing & legal basis

We share information only in the following limited cases:

• With your written consent (e.g., when you authorize us to contact a clinic).
• With the professional serving you (e.g., your counselor, driver) — only what is needed to serve you.
• When the law requires it: child/elder abuse reports (Mandated Reporter), a court order, or an emergency threatening your safety or someone else's.
• With funders only in aggregate, de-identified statistics.

On 'public charge': Applying for Medi-Cal (except long-term care) or CalFresh for yourself or your children is generally not counted in a public-charge decision. If you are unsure, we refer you to an attorney. Immigration information is used only for the application and never shared otherwise.

4. Your rights (CCPA/CPRA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), you have the following rights:

• Know what personal information we have collected about you.
• Ask us to delete your personal information (subject to certain legal exceptions).
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Limit or restrict how we use your information in certain cases.
• Opt out of the 'sale' or 'sharing' of your personal information — we never sell it.
• Not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise a right, call us or email with the subject line 'Privacy request.' We verify your identity before disclosing information. We respond within 45 days (extendable by 45 days if needed).

We do not 'sell' or 'share' personal information as defined by CCPA/CPRA, so there is no opt-out to enable. You may still ask us to limit the use of sensitive information at any time.

5. Data retention & security

We retain program information as long as needed to provide services and meet funder/regulatory retention requirements. Mental-health records are kept per HIPAA and California law. We apply reasonable technical and administrative safeguards (encryption, restricted access, staff training) to protect information. No system is 100% secure; if a breach occurs, we notify you as required by California law.

6. Minors

For children under 13, we collect information only with a parent or guardian's consent. For youth 12–17 seeking mental-health counseling, California allows self-consent in certain cases (Family Code §6924 or Health & Safety Code §124260). A counselor explains the appropriate consent pathway before starting.

7. Deletion & policy changes

You may request deletion of personal information collected through the website; we delete it unless the law requires retention (e.g., abuse records). Health records follow separate retention timelines required by law. We may update this policy; the 'last updated' date at the top shows the current version.