Is Shelterfy a non-profit?
No. Shelterfy is an operating platform with a published revenue model, housing, premium amenities, sponsorship, marketplace, SaaS, and rent-to-own administration. Profit from Shelterfy helps fund housing access, but the platform itself runs on operating economics so stability scales. We treat Shelterfy like a coalition, not a charity.
Who qualifies for a Shelterfy home?
There are three tiers, free, subsidized, and paid. Free and subsidized eligibility depends on the sponsor, city, employer, or program rules at each property. Paid-tier residency is open to anyone in good standing with a working income and a willingness to engage the Earn engine.
How is contribution verified for credit?
Property care shifts are signed off by a property steward. Training partners report course completions directly. Employers log marketplace shifts. Disputes route to a human reviewer with a written record. AI sorts and prioritizes, it never has the final say.
What can residents actually own through Shelterfy?
Four published paths: matched savings to an individual development account, a cooperative share in the operating entity, a lease-to-own contract on for-sale homes, or a defined shared-appreciation stake on properties not being sold. Residents can blend paths over time. All terms are published before any signature.
Is Shelterfy a surveillance platform?
No. There are no cameras in bedrooms or bathrooms, no microphones inside units, and no third-party data sales. What we measure: entry and exit logs at building doors, common-area and exterior sensors, empty-room checks after a unit is cleared, marketplace activity, payments, and disputes. Residents see a full record of what is collected through their dashboard.
What happens if a resident breaks a rule?
Access degrades before it disappears. Issues route to restorative steps first, a cleaning shift, a repair, a mediation, before any lockout. A human reviews every consequential decision, and residents can appeal with the full record visible. The default assumption is "rebuild standing," not "remove."
Can a city or housing program partner with Shelterfy?
Yes, that's a core design target. Email the founder and we'll come back with a one-page brief covering eligibility intake, voucher integration, outcome reporting, and how Shelterfy data flows back into HUD or state systems where required. We support service-area, scattered-site, and single-property pilots.
What does sponsorship cost?
Sponsorships are priced per outcome, a unit-month, a cohort of trade classes, a year of property care shifts. Reporting is tied to the specific outcome you fund. Pricing is shared in a one-page brief inside 48 hours.
How is Shelterfy related to Biz Dev App?
Biz Dev App is the parent platform, the operating system for the AI economy that powers dozens of brands across housing, energy, construction, and finance. Shelterfy is a brand on top of that operating system, sharing identity, ledger, and orchestration infrastructure, but running on its own product and brand for the people it is built for.
What is the connection to the US Foundation?
Profit from Shelterfy helps fund housing access and connects residents to health, recovery, and vocational support through the
US Foundation. The foundation is a separate organization; Shelterfy is its operating partner for housing.
Where can I learn more about the founder?
Read the founder bio on the
Who we are page. The short version: Bill Spencer Mercer III lived the journey Shelterfy describes, through stability, through losing it, through rebuilding it, toward owning a stake in it. The platform's design is the answer he wished someone had handed him.
