Questions, answered plainly.

No. The arrangement is not a romantic or sexual relationship. If either person ever wants one, the arrangement ends first, through a no-fault exit. Profiles lead with skills, schedules, and what each person hopes to give and get, not looks.

Yes. Every Keeper and Anchor adds one clear, recent photo of themselves, on their own. It stays private: photos never appear in public browsing, and a photo is shown only when a match opens your profile from their shortlist. Anchors see the photos of Keepers on their shortlist, and Keepers see the photos of Anchors on theirs.

Every photo is checked against the person’s ID during screening. For Keepers, that’s part of the at-cost identity check, about $5.

We remove location and camera details from photos before they’re saved. Before launch, only you and the Steady Allies team can see yours.

Every match starts small and grows only when both people are ready.

• Porch Light: 1 to 2 visits a week, daytime or early evening.
• Open Door: 3 to 4 evenings a week, and the Anchor goes home at night.
• Full Hearth: the Anchor lives in, in a private room, with written house rules. It opens only after at least 90 days at Open Door with a clean record, and begins with a 30-day paid trial stay.

After a trial goes well, the pair can move to a long-term agreement of 6 or 12 months, renewable only if both choose to. That gives children something steady to count on. See the tiers at a glance.

The Keeper chooses what to offer from the Hands and Hearth menu: home-cooked dinners, baked goods, a listening ear, laundry washed, dried and folded, general help, skill teaching (everyone has skills to teach, from AI to job skills to organization tips), a quiet place to work, and a place at some, most, or all holidays and family events. At Full Hearth, the Anchor also has a private room. Steady Allies does not pay Anchors, and the arrangement is not a job.

Browsing is free for both sides.

• Keepers: a planned $14.99 a month, starting the day a trial begins, not before. Cancel any time. Plus an at-cost identity check, about $5.
• Anchors: pay once for screening at cost, about $65. Yearly re-checks are billed the same way.
• $49 one-time match fee: paid once, when both people sign the agreement.
• At launch: no membership or match fee for the first three months. Screening is charged from day one.

Steady Allies never takes a cut of rent or shared expenses. If a trial ends in the first 14 days over a safety concern, that month’s membership and the match fee are refunded. See full pricing.

Skills matter, but so does how a home feels day to day. Keepers and Anchors pick tags that describe them, and matching weighs personality and lifestyle alongside the Hands and Hearth menu, schedules, and tier.

• Personality: laid-back, Type A or organized, easygoing, structured, quiet, social, playful, serious.
• You and your home’s personality: where the home is today and what it’s hoping for, for example laid back and unstructured today, hoping for an Anchor who models structure and discipline.
• Schedule: full-time worker, part-time, student, retired, flexible, early riser, night owl.
• Home style: neat, relaxed about mess, homebody, outdoorsy, handy, loves to cook, a screen family, busy, lots of free time, or mixed, since most homes hold different personalities.
• Lifestyle: from reader or homebody to walks, hikes, sports, or clean eating, marked for you, your kids, or both. Never body type or weight.
• With kids: sports and active, homework support, creative and arts, calm presence.
• Hobbies and interests: Anchors list their hobbies and skills, such as fishing, camping, soccer, basketball, cars, woodworking, music, or art. Keepers list their kids’ interests from the same list, plus life skills they’d like the kids to grow in, such as financial responsibility, discipline, or work ethic, so shared interests can be paired.

Tags guide the match. They never replace screening, the public meetup, or the trial, and the Keeper always makes the final call. Shared hobbies still follow the child safety rules: the Anchor is never alone with a child, does not drive a child, and brings no weapons into the home.

No. The Anchor is a trusted adult ally in the household, not a parent, babysitter, caregiver, or employee. The Keeper stays the decision maker for their home and their children. Steady Allies matches, screens, and mediates. It is not a landlord, employer, or childcare provider.

An adult who passes screening and wants a steady role in a household. Anchors pick a track. A Rising Anchor is building toward independence and needs a place to land. A Lasting Anchor is looking for a long-term role in a family.

Everyone states their own gender on their profile, and any Keeper can set a match preference as a personal safety choice. This setting is still under legal review before launch and may work differently by tier.

Screening is the heart of Steady Allies. Before any visit to a home, every Anchor passes an identity check, a national criminal search with county searches, a sex offender registry search, and reference checks. Checks repeat every year and after any reported incident, each with written consent from the person checked. Keepers verify identity and address too, through an at-cost identity check of about $5, so both sides know who they are meeting. Every profile photo, for Keepers and Anchors alike, is checked against the person’s ID.

No check can catch everything. That is why the child safety rules apply at every tier: the Anchor is never alone with a child.

Every pair follows the same five steps, in order:

1. A verified profile, with identity, background checks, references, and a short video introduction.
2. A public meetup, with a friend or family member nearby.
3. A short home visit, with the Keeper there the whole time. Children are home only if the Keeper chooses.
4. The trial for the chosen tier.
5. A review, where either person can say no.

A home address is shared only after screening and a mutual yes.

A safety concern ends any tier at once, with no notice period. In an emergency, call 911 first, then report it in the app. The platform can pause contact or suspend an account right away. If a Full Hearth Anchor has to collect belongings after a safety exit, the Keeper never has to face them: a friend or the platform’s mediator is present, or a neutral party ships their things.

Wait until screening, the public meetup, and the short home visit are done and both of you have said yes. Then tell your children in simple words that fit their age, with you there. Keep the first time together short and relaxed, around an activity like dinner, a game, or a small project. Let them ask questions and answer honestly. You set the pace. Your children’s names and photos are shared with the Anchor only once a trial begins.

Keep it honest and simple, and use the same words every time. For example: “This is Sam. Sam is our Anchor, a friend of the family who is going to help around the house and spend time with us.”

It also helps to say what the Anchor is not: not a new parent, not a romantic partner, and not a babysitter. Older children may like to know there are written rules, and that they can raise a concern at any time.

It is normal for children to need time with someone new. Ask them gently what feels hard, and listen. Small changes often help: different days, shorter visits, or activities they enjoy. Any child can raise a concern at any time, and the review at the end of each trial is a natural moment to decide together.

Your children’s wellbeing comes first. Either person can end things with no fault at any tier, using that tier’s notice period. If your child feels unsafe, end it right away.

At every tier, the Anchor is never alone with a child. No driving a child, no discipline, no private messages with a child, and no photos of the children shared anywhere online. In a real emergency, safety comes first: the Anchor may call 911, give first aid, help everyone leave a building, and stay with a child until help arrives. Read the safety terms.

Yes. Rules are agreed and signed before the trial starts, and they live in the Boundaries Agreement in the app. It covers visit days and departure times, agreed tasks, money, guests, privacy, the child safety rules, the not-a-dating-service term, and the notice period. At Full Hearth it also covers quiet hours, shared spaces, kitchen use, rent, and room privacy.

Before an Anchor agrees to anything, the Keeper also completes a home disclosure sheet: other adults in the home, the number and ages of the children (no names or photos), pets, smoking and alcohol, firearms and how they are stored, cameras, and the other parent’s practical role, with no personal details.

Any change is agreed by both people in writing before it happens. The agreement is reviewed at the end of each trial, every 90 days at Full Hearth, and at each renewal.

That is a great sign, and we encourage it. Anchors can work or study, and showing drive is part of being a good example. The tier sets the rhythm: 1 to 2 visits a week at Porch Light, 3 to 4 evenings at Open Door, and written quiet hours and house rules at Full Hearth. Rising Anchors also have a monthly check-in on their work and savings goals.

Yes. Moving up from Porch Light to Open Door, or from Open Door to Full Hearth, needs a new agreement signed by both people in the app. That keeps a clear record and keeps the safety rules in place. Full Hearth also needs at least 90 days at Open Door with a clean record, and it begins with a 30-day paid trial stay.

Either person can end the arrangement at any tier, with no fault. The notice period comes from the tier: same day at Porch Light; 3 days during the trial and 7 days after at Open Door; 7 days during the trial and 30 days after at Full Hearth, with final lengths set with an attorney. Under a long-term agreement, a longer notice applies.

Every exit includes a planned goodbye for the children, because stability matters to them. That might mean telling the children together, sharing one last family activity, and agreeing whether to stay in touch. The only exception is an immediate exit for safety. When you are ready, we will help you find a new match.

By partner we mean someone who shares the work of running a home, not a romantic partner. If it is not what you hoped, raise it early. Talk first, and if that does not settle it, a neutral mediator can help. Often the answer is clearer tasks, different days, or a different tier. If it still does not fit, use the no-fault exit for your tier and plan a kind goodbye. After every trial, both people answer a short, blind review that helps the next family and the next Anchor.

Talk first, then use mediation if needed. Adjust what you can. If it still is not right, end it the kind way, with your tier’s notice and a planned goodbye. For safety, end it right away.

We’re planning to launch in November 2026. Tell us your ZIP code or city when you sign up so we know where to start.