How-To Guide

Everything you need to know to use ChiRelays — whether you're looking for help or providing it.

Find help on the map

1

Open the Map and use the search bar at the top to search by name, need, or neighborhood.

2

Tap a category at the bottom of the screen (Food, Shelter, Health, and more) to show only those services.

3

Use the filters to narrow results: Open Now shows places open at this moment, Available Only hides places that are full or out of supplies, and the language filter finds services in your language.

4

The colored dots tell you real-time availability: 🟢 accepting / stocked, 🟡 limited or waitlist, 🔴 at capacity or depleted.

💡 Tap any card in the results list to see full details — address, hours, contact info, what documents to bring, and directions.

Need help urgently?

1

Use the Urgent Help Tonight button on the map to instantly see shelters and food services that are open and accepting people right now.

Tell us your needs, get matched

1

Complete the short guided assessment — it asks about your urgent needs, household, transportation, and situation.

2

Based on your answers, your dashboard shows a curated list of resources matched to you, with the reasons they match.

3

Update your answers anytime with the Update my needs button on your dashboard — fresher answers mean better matches.

Save resources for later

1

Tap the bookmark icon on any resource card or detail page to save it.

2

Find everything you've saved in the Saved Resources section of My Dashboard.

Track your referrals

1

When a provider refers you to another organization, the referral appears on your dashboard with its current status (Pending, Accepted, and so on).

2

Check the Getting Ready info on each referral — it lists the location, hours, contact info, and documents to bring.

3

After your visit, tell us how it went (Helped, Partially Helped, Did Not Help) — this improves the network for everyone.

💡 You can withdraw a referral or request a reschedule directly from the referral card.

Help keep information accurate

1

Visited a place and the status was wrong? Use Report Current Status on the resource page to submit an update — an admin reviews it.

2

You can also confirm a listing is accurate with the quick feedback buttons — your confirmations appear as trust signals for other members.

Your dashboard at a glance

1

Matched for you — resources curated from your assessment, with available places listed first.

2

My Referrals — every referral with its status timeline and prep info.

3

Saved Resources — your bookmarked places, one tap away.