HelpmApp CIC Statements (v3)
Date: 2025-12-30
Status: Updated to reflect live production status and refined social objectives for immediate grant applications.
Part 1: The Community Interest Statement (Form CIC36)
Section A: The company’s activities
HelpmApp is a live, production-ready Progressive Web Application (PWA) that connects individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness in London with essential support services. The platform’s activities are centered around three core functions:
Real-Time Service Discovery: We provide a free, user-friendly, and accessible mobile-first platform (
www.helpmapp.org) that maps and lists over 270 verified support services across all 32 UK regions and boroughs. Users can filter services by category (e.g., food, shelter, health), location, and real-time "Open Now" status, reducing wasted travel and providing immediate access to care.Gamified Engagement & Rewards: The platform incorporates a gamified rewards system where users earn "stars" for checking into and verifying service usage. These stars are redeemable for essential real-world goods, such as hot meals, hygiene kits, and public transport passes. This activity incentivizes engagement, provides tangible support, and generates valuable, anonymized data on service utilization.
Data for Social Impact: We provide a portal for service providers and local authorities to manage their listings and, in the future, access anonymized utilization data. This data will help them optimize service delivery, identify gaps in provision, and make evidence-based decisions for resource allocation.
Section B: How will the company’s activities benefit the community?
HelpmApp’s activities will primarily benefit individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness in London, as well as the wider community of service providers and local authorities dedicated to supporting them.
Benefits to Individuals Experiencing Homelessness:
- Immediate & Dignified Access to Services: By providing a single, reliable source of information, HelpmApp removes the significant barrier of finding help. This reduces stress, saves critical time and energy, and empowers individuals to take control of their journey out of homelessness.
- Tangible Support through Rewards: The rewards system provides direct, material benefits, addressing immediate needs and improving quality of life. This gamified approach fosters a sense of agency and positive reinforcement.
- Digital Inclusion: The platform is designed to be low-bandwidth and accessible, promoting digital literacy and providing a critical link to the digital world for a marginalized community.
Benefits to Service Providers & the Community:
- Increased Efficiency: Providers can reach their target audience more effectively and manage their listings to reflect real-time capacity, reducing administrative burden.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Anonymized utilization data will provide unprecedented insight into service demand and gaps, enabling local authorities and charities to allocate funding and resources more effectively, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the entire community.
- Enhanced Coordination: The platform serves as a common ground for the fragmented support ecosystem, fostering better coordination between the 10,000+ service slots available across London.
If the company makes any surplus it will be used to:
- Expand the Rewards Pool: Reinvesting directly into the rewards system to offer a wider range and greater quantity of essential goods and services to our users.
- Scale User Acquisition: Funding outreach programs, including hiring peer advocates with lived experience, to ensure the platform reaches the most vulnerable individuals.
- Enhance Platform Features: Continuously improving the platform based on user feedback, with a focus on accessibility, new features that support well-being, and tools for service providers.
Part 2: The Asset Lock
As a Community Interest Company, HelpmApp will be subject to an Asset Lock. This is a fundamental feature of the CIC legal structure that ensures the company’s assets (including any profits or other surpluses generated by its activities) are used for the benefit of the community it is formed to serve.
Designated Body for Asset Transfer:
In the event of a winding-up or dissolution of HelpmApp, any remaining assets will be transferred to:
- Centrepoint (Registered Charity Number: 292411)
Justification:
Centrepoint is a leading UK charity dedicated to ending youth homelessness. Their mission and operational footprint align perfectly with HelpmApp’s objectives. Transferring assets to Centrepoint ensures that our resources will continue to be used to support the same community we are dedicated to serving, fulfilling the spirit and legal requirement of the Asset Lock.