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Public Assistance Request & Center Locator Guide

Overview

Section titled “Overview”

Dream Center Connect provides a mobile-responsive, public-facing portal designed to eliminate barriers to care. Constituents can discover local partner facilities, submit confidential assistance requests across multiple need categories, and participate in voluntary demographic surveys used to secure community grants.

graph TD
    A["1. Public Home Portal (/)"] --> B["2. Find Center (ZIP / GPS Locator)"]
    B --> C["3. Assistance Request Wizard (/request)"]
    C --> D["4. Instant Submission Confirmation"]
    D --> E["5. Post-Intake Demographic Survey (/s/:token)"]

1. Finding a Nearby Dream Center

Section titled “1. Finding a Nearby Dream Center”

Community members start on the landing page and navigate to the Center Locator to locate their closest partner facility.

graph LR
    User["Constituent"] --> SearchType{"Search Method"}
    SearchType -->|Option A| Zip["Enter 5-Digit ZIP Code"]
    SearchType -->|Option B| GPS["Share Device GPS Location"]
    Zip --> Match["Query Local Partner Locations"]
    GPS --> Match
    Match --> Result["View Ranked Centers with Distance (Miles) & Address"]

Search Options

Section titled “Search Options”
  1. ZIP Code Search: Enter a 5-digit US ZIP code into the search field and click Search.
  2. Device GPS Location: Click Use Current Location to allow the browser or mobile device to detect coordinates.
  3. Location Results: Matching Dream Center locations are presented with:
    • Facility Name and street address.
    • Distance calculation badge (e.g. 2.4 miles away).
    • Direct Select action to pre-bind the request to that partner facility.

2. The 4-Step Assistance Request Wizard

Section titled “2. The 4-Step Assistance Request Wizard”

Once a center is selected, the application launches the 4-step assistance intake wizard:

Contact Information & Preferred Channel

Section titled “Contact Information & Preferred Channel”
  • Personal Details: First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth.
  • Contact Methods: Mobile Phone Number, Email Address.
  • Residential Address: Street Address, City, State, ZIP Code.
  • Preferred Notification Channel: Choose between SMS Text, Phone Call, or Email for follow-up notifications.
  • 10DLC SMS Communication Consent (Carrier Compliance):
    • Constituents providing a mobile phone number are presented with an optional, unchecked checkbox:

      “I agree to receive SMS text notifications regarding my assistance request, status updates, and emergency coordination from this organization. Message frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel.”

    • Includes direct links to the public Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
    • Conforms to US carrier non-sharing mandates (mobile phone numbers are never shared or sold to third parties for marketing).

3. Submission Confirmation & Tracking

Section titled “3. Submission Confirmation & Tracking”

Upon successful submission:

  1. A Confirmation Screen displays the unique Need Reference Number (e.g. DC-84920).
  2. An automated SMS/Email acknowledgment is sent to the constituent’s contact information.
  3. The request immediately appears in the partner organization’s Shared Needs Queue for staff triage.

4. Post-Intake Voluntary Demographic Grant Survey

Section titled “4. Post-Intake Voluntary Demographic Grant Survey”

To assist partner centers in maintaining 501(c)(3) public grant compliance (e.g. HUD, United Way, County Community Development Block Grants), constituents are invited to complete an anonymous, voluntary 5-question survey via a secure token link (/s/:token).

Survey Questions Matrix

Section titled “Survey Questions Matrix”
Step Topic Options Purpose
Q1 Age Group Under 18, 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65+, Prefer not to say Age distribution reporting
Q2 Ethnicity / Race Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, White / Caucasian, Asian or Pacific Islander, Native American, Two or more races, Prefer not to say Grant demographic equity benchmarks
Q3 Housing Situation Housed (Own/Rent), Unhoused (Sheltered), Unhoused (Unsheltered), At-Risk, Temporary, Prefer not to say Housing vulnerability tracking
Q4 Primary Spoken Language English, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, French, Chinese, Other / Prefer not to say Multilingual staff resource allocation
Q5 Military / Veteran Status Non-Veteran, Veteran, Active Duty, Reserve / National Guard, Prefer not to say Specialized veteran resource linking

Survey Privacy Safeguards

Section titled “Survey Privacy Safeguards”
  • Strict Anonymity: Responses are aggregated and never linked directly to the constituent’s personal medical or intake notes.
  • Single-Use Token Verification: Prevents duplicate submissions and automatically displays an “Already Submitted” message if accessed multiple times.
  • Skip Logic: Every question includes a “Skip this question” action to ensure participation remains entirely voluntary.

5. Embedding the Intake Form on Partner Websites

Section titled “5. Embedding the Intake Form on Partner Websites”

Organizations can embed the public intake form directly onto their external website using responsive iframes or styled HTML templates (→ Embeddable Intake Form Manual).