GATEHOUSE Terms of Use

GATEHOUSE is a free community platform. It connects people with help. Be respectful. Never post anyone else’s private information. GATEHOUSE does not promise that any agency will help.

Pathfinders for Hope · Effective October 6, 2026

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) are an agreement between you and Pathfinders for Hope (“Pathfinders for Hope”, “we”, “us”). We are a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 99-5142558). These Terms cover your use of GATEHOUSE. GATEHOUSE is the community platform at pathfindersforhope.org. It includes the Feed, Chat, Spaces, Events, Get help, Resources, Agency Directory, Voice board, Field Mode, the Academy and every other GATEHOUSE page and feature (together, “GATEHOUSE”).

GATEHOUSE is our community platform, where Pathfinders for Hope does your intake, barrier review and the calls to agencies. Ninety-Nine Systems, Inc. builds it and keeps it running for us.

By creating an account or using GATEHOUSE, you agree to these Terms and to the GATEHOUSE Privacy Notice. If you do not agree, do not use GATEHOUSE.

The short version

• Be respectful. No threats, harassment, hate, spam or scams.
• Never post anyone else’s private information, especially about clients or people you serve.
• GATEHOUSE helps connect people with help. It does not promise that any agency will help. Resource listings can be wrong. Call ahead.
• GATEHOUSE is not an emergency service. In danger right now? Call 911. Thinking about suicide or hurting yourself? Call or text 988. Need shelter, food or services? Call 211.
• You own what you post. You let us show it on GATEHOUSE.
• We can remove posts or accounts that break these rules.
• GATEHOUSE is free and still being built. We give it to you “as is.”

1. Who can use GATEHOUSE?

• You must be 18 or older.
• You must give true facts about yourself when you sign up. Keep them up to date.
• One person, one account. Do not share your account or let anyone else use it.
• If you use GATEHOUSE for an agency or organization, you confirm you are allowed to act for it. You agree to these Terms for yourself and for that organization.
• If we have removed you before, you may not use GATEHOUSE unless we agree in writing.

GATEHOUSE is not the North Bay Pilot. Making an account does not sign you or your agency up for the North Bay Pilot of Operation Iron Gate. The pilot runs only in Vallejo and Solano County. To take part, you need a separate application and agreement.

2. Your account

• Keep your password private. You are responsible for what happens under your account.
• If you think someone else has used your account, tell us right away at support@pathfindersforhope.org.
• Accounts made through the sign-up form are member accounts. They give no access to manage the website.

3. Community rules

You agree not to use GATEHOUSE to:

1. Threaten, harass, bully, stalk or intimidate anyone, or encourage anyone else to.
2. Post hate speech or attack people for race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, housing status, income or any similar trait.
3. Share someone else’s private information without their clear permission. This includes full names tied to a situation, addresses, phone numbers, photos, case details, health information, immigration status, criminal history or where someone sleeps.
4. Post anything sexual that involves a minor, or any sexually explicit material.
5. Encourage or show violence, self-harm or illegal activity.
6. Pretend to be someone else. Or falsely claim to speak for an agency, a government office or Pathfinders for Hope.
7. Post false or misleading information about services, agencies or people. This includes fake reviews and fake help requests.
8. Send spam, chain messages, ads, sales pitches or fundraising requests, or recruit members for a business. The only exception is if we approve it in writing.
9. Scam or defraud anyone, or ask anyone for money, passwords or personal papers.
10. Upload viruses or harmful code. Try to break in, test our security, get around access limits, or overload the platform.
11. Copy, scrape or collect member information or content with bots, scripts or any automated tool.
12. Post content you do not have the right to share. This includes other people’s copyrighted work.
13. Break any law.

If you see something that breaks these rules, report it to support@pathfindersforhope.org. If someone is in danger, call 911 first.

4. Extra rules for agencies, outreach workers and professionals

These rules apply if you work or volunteer for an agency, nonprofit, church, health provider, government office or outreach team:

• Do not post client information on GATEHOUSE. No names, case numbers, birth dates, diagnoses, photos or other details that could identify a person you serve. This applies to posts, Chat, Spaces, Field Mode and everywhere else. Talk about situations in general terms only.
• Your legal duties stay yours. You are still bound by any confidentiality rules that apply to your work. Examples are HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, the Violence Against Women Act, California confidentiality law, and your employer’s or funder’s policies. GATEHOUSE is not approved for storing protected client records. Using it does not meet those rules.
• Field Mode records counts only. Log the general area and the type of need. Never type a person’s name or exact location.
• Speak for your agency only if you are allowed to. What you post about your agency’s services (hours, who qualifies, openings) should be accurate. Fix it when it changes.
• Referrals and handoffs made through GATEHOUSE do not create a contract between Pathfinders for Hope and your agency. They do not require your agency to accept anyone. Each agency decides for itself whom it serves.

5. Help requests and resource information

• No guarantee of help. When you use Get help, Pathfinders for Hope will try to find an agency or program and make a handoff. We cannot promise that any agency will take a referral, have space or give a service. We cannot promise how fast.
• We are not a provider. Pathfinders for Hope is not a shelter, a housing authority, a benefits office, a medical or mental health provider, a law firm or a case manager. Nothing on GATEHOUSE is medical, legal, financial or professional advice.
• Resource listings can be wrong. The Resource Finder, “Open right now”, the Agency Directory, events and similar listings come from public sources, agencies and members. Hours, addresses, who qualifies and openings change. Always call ahead before you go. We are not responsible for the services, acts or choices of any agency or person listed.
• Not for emergencies. Nobody watches GATEHOUSE all day and night. A post, Chat message or help request may not be seen for hours or days. In an emergency, call 911.

6. Your content

You own what you post. That includes your posts, comments, photos, Chat messages, Voice board ideas and profile (“your content”).

You give us permission to use it to run GATEHOUSE. When you post, you give Pathfinders for Hope a free, worldwide, non-exclusive license to host, store, copy, display, translate (including into Spanish and Tagalog) and share your content within GATEHOUSE. We do this as needed to run, show and improve the platform. This license ends when you delete the content or your account. It goes on only for copies other members already have (for example, a reply quoting you), copies kept in backups for a short time, and anything the law says we must keep.

You are responsible for your content. You promise you have the right to post it and that it follows these Terms.

Ideas and feedback. GATEHOUSE exists so the community can shape Operation Iron Gate. You may send us ideas, tips or feedback. This includes the Voice board, posts, surveys, Chat with our team or any other way. If you do, you agree that Pathfinders for Hope and Ninety-Nine Systems, Inc. may use them to build and improve GATEHOUSE and Operation Iron Gate. They do not have to pay you, and you get no rights in the result. We will not publish your name with your idea without your permission.

7. Our content and the platform

GATEHOUSE, Operation Iron Gate, their software, design, text, graphics, logos and names belong to Pathfinders for Hope, Ninety-Nine Systems, Inc. or their licensors. Copyright and trademark law protect them. You may use GATEHOUSE for what it is meant for. You may not copy, sell, rebuild, reverse-engineer or make a competing product from GATEHOUSE or any part of it. You may not use our names or logos without written permission.

8. Academy courses and badges

Academy courses, quizzes, certificates and badges (including “Iron Gate Way certified”) show that you finished GATEHOUSE training. They are not a professional license, credential or certification from any government body or school. They do not qualify anyone to give services. Do not present them as more than that.

9. Events

Some events are in person. You go at your own risk. You are responsible for your own safety and belongings. Event hosts, times and places can change. Pathfinders for Hope is not responsible for events run by other groups, even if they are listed on GATEHOUSE.

10. Moderation, removal and ending your account

• We may review, hide or remove any content that we believe breaks these Terms, puts someone at risk or could cause legal problems. We may also edit it for safety (for example, to remove a phone number someone posted about another person). We do not have to watch everything. We are not responsible for what members post.
• We may warn, limit, suspend or close any account that breaks these Terms or puts others at risk. We may do this with or without notice.
• We may report threats of violence, child exploitation or other serious crimes to law enforcement.
• You may close your account at any time in Settings > Delete account.
• Sections 4, 6 (ideas and feedback), 7, 11, 12, 13 and 14 still apply after your account ends.

11. GATEHOUSE is free and still being built

GATEHOUSE is a free service that is still being built. Features may change, move, pause or end at any time. We may change or shut down GATEHOUSE or any part of it. We are not liable to you if we do.

GATEHOUSE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE FULLEST EXTENT THE LAW ALLOWS, PATHFINDERS FOR HOPE AND NINETY-NINE SYSTEMS, INC. MAKE NO PROMISES OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. This includes any promise that GATEHOUSE will be accurate, complete, available, secure or free of errors, or that it is fit for any particular purpose.

12. Limits on our responsibility

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT THE LAW ALLOWS:

• Pathfinders for Hope, Ninety-Nine Systems, Inc., and their directors, officers, employees, volunteers and agents are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages that arise from or relate to GATEHOUSE. They are also not liable for lost data, lost opportunities, or harm caused by another member, an agency, a listed resource, an event or a third-party service, that arises from or relates to GATEHOUSE.
• Our total liability for any claim about GATEHOUSE is limited to one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

Some laws do not allow these limits. Where they do not, these limits apply only as far as the law allows. Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct, or anything else that California law does not let us limit.

13. Your responsibility to us

If you break these Terms or the law, or your content causes a claim against us, you agree to cover the cost. That means the reasonable costs, losses and legal fees that Pathfinders for Hope, Ninety-Nine Systems, Inc., and their directors, officers, employees and volunteers face because of it.

14. Disagreements

• Talk to us first. If you have a problem with GATEHOUSE, email support@pathfindersforhope.org. Most problems can be fixed this way. Please give us 30 days to try before you take any formal action.
• California law governs these Terms, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.
• Any lawsuit about GATEHOUSE or these Terms must be brought in the state or federal courts serving Solano County, California. You and we agree to those courts’ jurisdiction. Either side may use small claims court for a claim that qualifies.

15. Copyright complaints

Do you believe something on GATEHOUSE copies your work without permission? Email support@pathfindersforhope.org. Include all of these: your contact details; what work you own; where the copy appears on GATEHOUSE (link); a statement that you believe in good faith the use is not authorized; a statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and you own the work or may act for the owner; and your signature. We will remove content when appropriate. We may close the accounts of repeat infringers.

16. Other legal terms

• Changes. We may update these Terms. The effective date at the top will change. For important changes, we will post a notice in GATEHOUSE and email members before they take effect. If you keep using GATEHOUSE after that, you accept the new Terms.
• Translations. If a Spanish or Tagalog version of these Terms differs from the English version, the English version controls.
• Whole agreement. These Terms and the Privacy Notice are the whole agreement between you and us about GATEHOUSE. A separate written agreement (for example, a North Bay Pilot agreement) controls where it says so.
• If one part fails. If a court finds that any part of these Terms cannot be enforced, the rest stays in effect.
• No waiver. If we do not enforce a rule right away, we can still enforce it later.
• Transfer. You may not transfer your account or these Terms. We may transfer them to an organization that takes over GATEHOUSE.
• Ninety-Nine Systems, Inc. may rely on and enforce the parts of these Terms that protect it.

17. Contact

Pathfinders for Hope · Vallejo, California
Email: support@pathfindersforhope.org
Phone: (707) 205-7588