Our basic rule: if we cannot find a reliable public source, confirm a free way to receive or find help, and explain the next step, we do not publish the listing.
1. What belongs in the directory
RWN organizes public information about free essential services. A listing must be free, free for people who meet stated eligibility rules, available through a genuine no-cost option, or an official resource finder that is free to use.
We write for people who may be under stress. Listings should use plain names and clearly show the type of help, cost, eligibility, hours or availability, contact details, source, date checked, and map options. Inclusion is not an accreditation or an endorsement of everything an organization does.
2. Sources we use
We use the strongest available source, in this order:
- an official government, public agency, or service provider page;
- an official provider locator, program page, or public directory;
- an official listing from a recognized humanitarian network;
- a dated document or announcement published by the organization; then
- a reputable secondary directory, used only to find a stronger original source.
Every RWN listing names the source, links to it securely, and shows the date we checked it. Search results, AI-generated text, anonymous posts, copied directory descriptions, testimonials, and social-media claims are not enough by themselves.
3. Inclusion and removal
We include services that provide or help people find free food, water, shelter, health care, hygiene, clothing, crisis support, or closely related assistance. The source must explain both the service and how a person can access it without paying. Eligibility, referrals, vouchers, age limits, and voluntary contributions are stated clearly.
We do not publish a listing when the free service cannot be confirmed, the only relevant service charges a fee, the source cannot be checked, the service appears closed, a link is unsafe, the address is only an office with no public service access, the listing is primarily commercial, or publication could create a safety risk. RWN does not sell placement or ranking.
4. Location and marker standards
| Listing type | What the marker means | How the point is chosen |
|---|---|---|
| Service location | A public-facing place where the named service is offered or accessed. | The published entrance, the organization’s map point, or an official public-data point. |
| Resource finder | An official tool that helps people find services in a country or region. | A representative point for the area served. It is never presented as a walk-in address. |
| Service network | A recognized program or humanitarian network with wider coverage. | A representative public office or point within the area served, clearly labeled as a network. |
We compare coordinates with the written address and source. Current USDA records must meet the agency map’s location standard and remain attached to their written address. Country borders come from simplified Natural Earth map data. They do not represent an RWN political position or provide legal boundary guidance.
5. Keeping information current
The date on a listing is when we last checked its public source. It does not mean the provider confirmed every detail that day. Listings drawn from current government data show when the record was retrieved.
Seasonal services include start and end dates when the source provides them. USDA summer meal sites are not shown before their start date or after their end date. If hours are unavailable, we say so rather than guessing.
Automated checks look for unsafe links, invalid coordinates, duplicates, repeated categories, missing cost language, missing fields, invalid dates, and unexpected changes in public data. A person still reviews the meaning of the source. When hours or availability may change quickly, we ask visitors to confirm before they go.
6. Automation and AI-generated material
Automation may help format source-backed records, validate fields, detect duplicates, identify broken links, or flag a record for review. Automation does not replace the source requirement and does not independently establish that a service is safe, free, available, eligible, or effective.
The public finder does not currently provide a generative-AI chatbot or personalized AI answer system. If AI-assisted drafting or analysis is used internally, a human reviewer must still be able to trace each published factual service claim to the cited source. AI-generated text by itself is never treated as verification.
Visitor search words, exact device location, saved-service identifiers, and RWN diagnostic payloads are not sent to an AI model by the public website. Any future user-facing AI feature must receive a privacy, safety, crisis-response, and source-integrity review before launch.
7. Testimonials, reviews, and success claims
RWN does not fabricate testimonials, invent user stories, create fake ratings, or present an endorsement as independent when RWN controls it. Testimonials and review scores are not used to decide whether a service qualifies for the directory.
If RWN later publishes a testimonial or endorsement, it must reflect a genuine experience, must not make an unsupported claim about typical outcomes, and any material relationship—such as payment, employment, family relationship, free benefits, or organizational control—that could affect how a visitor evaluates it must be disclosed clearly.
8. Corrections and removals
We make corrections from reliable evidence, such as an updated organization page, an official location record, a provider notice, or confirmation from an authorized representative.
We may remove a listing while we investigate an urgent safety or accuracy concern. Requests for promotion or higher placement do not outweigh accuracy or safety.
Reporting a correction: RWN does not yet have a verified public correction address. If an organization’s own information is wrong, contact that organization first. We will publish a monitored RWN correction channel after it has been established.
9. Independence
RWN does not accept donations through this website or sell sponsored placement. If funding or partnerships are added later, they will not buy inclusion, favorable wording, map prominence, or a higher ranking. Any important conflict of interest should be disclosed and reviewed independently.
We measure the directory by whether people can find credible next steps—not by clicks, attention, or unnecessary collection of personal information.