safety
Six questions before you meet anyone
None of these take more than a few seconds, and running through them once becomes a habit you never have to think about again.
Short answer
Before meeting someone from a help app, ask: is the place public and lit at this hour, does someone else know where I am going, am I sharing more location than I need to, is the conversation still in the app, do I have a way to leave, and does anything feel off. Any single no is reason enough to change the plan.
Why a list and not advice
Advice evaporates under social pressure. A checklist survives it, because you ran it before you were standing in front of anyone and before politeness started arguing with your judgment.
What the app does on its side
Only helpers with a current staff-reviewed approval can accept. Live requests show a coarse area rather than a pin. Chat is private between two people. Report and block are always present. That is a real floor, and it is not a substitute for the six questions above.
The list
1. Is this place public and lit right now?
Not at noon — right now. Lots empty, buildings lock, and a good spot at three is a bad spot at eleven.
2. Does anyone else know where I am?
One text to one person. Where, who, and when you expect to be done. It costs nothing.
3. Am I sharing more location than I need to?
Approximate area is the default and it is usually enough. Precise sharing is opt-in and ends with the request.
4. Is the conversation still in the app?
In-app chat keeps report and block meaningful and keeps your phone number yours.
5. Do I have a way to end this?
Report and block are one tap away, and leaving early needs no explanation and no apology.
That is sufficient. You do not owe anyone the benefit of the doubt at your own expense, and 911 exists if it is more than a feeling.
Questions people actually ask
Is it rude to leave early?
No. Ending an interaction is always allowed, and nobody is entitled to an explanation.
Should I bring someone?
Always fine. Nothing about this expects you to show up alone.
Keep going
trust
Safety, said plainly
Approximate location, approved helpers only, private chat, public meeting places, and report/block tools. Help Me is not 911.
safety
How to stay safe while asking for a hand
Meet in public, keep exact location off until you consent, and use report and block. Help Me is not 911 — call official help first if you are in danger.
answer
Is Help Me safe?
How Help Me handles safety: staff-reviewed helper approval, approximate location, private chat, public meeting places, and report and block in every request.
answer
Where should I meet someone?
Somewhere public, lit, and busy: a store entrance, a staffed campus building, a well-used parking lot. Public meeting places are the default for a reason.
glossary
Meet in public
Help Me defaults to public meeting places. You choose the label. A grocery vestibule or campus union beats a dark driveway.
safety
How to report or block — without writing an essay
Report or block anyone, any time in Help Me. Safety actions sit in every request. Staff can act on reports. Call 911 first if you are in danger.
Help Me is a community app for adults in Fargo–Moorhead. It is not a K–12 student program, not a youth chat, and not campus police.