Methodology & trust

Useful information needs honest limits. When we lack evidence for a detail, we label it UNKNOWN. Missing information does not mean a program is closed or cannot help.

This directory is under active review and may be incomplete. Confirm urgent details directly; No One Left Outside does not guarantee eligibility, availability, funding, acceptance, or placement.

A check label is a statement about No One Left Outside’s knowledge: what we checked, the source, and the date. It is never a statement about a provider. A well-checked listing does not mean a better organization, and No One Left Outside does not rank, rate, score, or recommend providers. Provider confirmation needs separate evidence for named fields.

A recent check does not mean a better provider. A missing check does not mean a worse one. Check labels describe our evidence. Search order helps match your question; it is not a rating, endorsement, or promise of help.

Listings use these status labels:

• Source indicates activeA dated source indicated this program was operating when last checked. This is not provider confirmation and does not mean space or funding is available today.
• Possibly activeOur source suggests this program is running. We could not check this directly. Call before you go.
• Needs verificationWe have not checked this record recently. Details may be wrong or out of date.
• Closed — do not referReported as closed. Please do not refer anyone here. We keep closed programs listed so nobody is sent to a locked door.

A program existing does not mean applications are open, funding is available, or beds are free. We display availability only when a dated, unexpired observation supports it — never inferred from a listing count.

Closed programs stay listed and are marked do not refer rather than deleted. Deleting a closed provider destroys the most useful fact about it.

Where we have a usable check date, we show it and how old it is. A missing date means the check date is unknown. A website-check label means “No One Left Outside checked the provider’s own website on <date>.” It does not mean the provider confirmed the listing. Other checks name their source or method. Search summaries describe the records shown, not all providers in an area.

Stale records are labelled, never hidden. Hiding them would remove the only thing that makes the label worth reading.

Guide sections can have different kinds of evidence. Check the source, place, and date for the section you plan to use. These labels mean different things:

• Official source — a named page or regulation with a URL and a check date. This is the only basis allowed to state a rule or a fee, and it cannot be recorded without a source.
• Field practice — what experienced workers do. Useful, labelled as practice, never presented as an agency rule.
• Universal guidance — preparation advice that holds regardless of jurisdiction.
• Checked, not stated — a reviewer opened the named source, but it did not answer the question. The next step is to ask the responsible agency and record the answer, not to read silence as a no.
• Pending verification — a question No One Left Outside has not answered yet, published as an open question rather than removed.

A check date says when we looked, not whether the information is still current. The place label says where the guidance applies. “Needs Kentucky verification” means we still need a Kentucky source to answer the question. Until then, ask the agency.

Across 21 journeys, No One Left Outside currently publishes 134 official routes checked against a named source, covering 21 of them. Read each guide for the routes we have checked and the questions that still need an answer.

Hours matter when you plan a call or trip. Where we have them, we show the hours a source states. If hours are missing or old, ask the provider before you go.

Some sources describe round-the-clock access to a line, form, or local process: currently 7 of them. Each is a dated source statement, not a live check that someone will answer. The source date tells you when we read that claim.

Guides offer printable referral packet: preparation sheets with contact routes, hours where known, documents, questions, and backup steps. Check the sources and dates before you use them.

You can use public guides without a client account. Search terms appear in the page address and may appear in hosting logs. Reports store what you submit. Keep client names and private details out of both. Printed packets have space for handwritten notes.

Directory counts need a stated counting method. See the counting limits on the Data page. A count of listings does not show how many providers can help today.

Anyone can report outdated or missing information, no account required — use Report a change or email resources@nooneleftoutside.org. Corrections go to a review queue; nothing publishes without human review and evidence.

Stating this is part of the method, because each one is a way a resource directory normally goes wrong:

• No ranking, rating, or recommendation of providers.
• No availability claim without a dated, unexpired observation and visible limits.
• No eligibility determination. No One Left Outside is not an application portal.
• No advertising, sponsored placement, or paid position in results.
• No client accounts, case-note system, or seeker profiles.
• No silent deletion. A record that closes is marked closed, and a correction is reviewed by a person.