FIMBY

FIMBY (Family In My Backyard) turns the place you live into a place you belong.

Most apps teach us to scroll past each other. FIMBY helps neighbours slow down, notice each other, and share everyday life close to home.

It's a neighbourhood app for the people around you, not a city-wide feed. Ask for help, offer what you have, lend and borrow everyday things and skills, split bulk purchases, gather, and stay connected in small, ordinary ways.

WHAT YOU CAN DO Ask and offer Post what you need or what you can share, from moving help to extra soup.

Lend and borrow Add tools, books, kitchen gear, and other useful things to your neighbourhood's Library. Borrowers and return dates are tracked for you.

Borrow a skill The Library holds skills too: neighbours who fix bikes, tutor, translate, or lend a hand.

Bulk buys Split large purchases with neighbours. Reserve shares and let FIMBY keep the allocations organized.

Gather Host a dinner, plan a cleanup day, share a block party, or pass along a local event worth knowing about.

Shared Life Post a story, a thank you, a hard moment, or a prayer request (if that's something you do).

Messages Coordinate through response threads, direct messages, and group chats, all in one inbox.

BUILT FOR REAL NEIGHBOURS Local by design You see the same neighbours over time, not thousands of strangers. Names become familiar. Small acts of care start becoming real relationships.

Belonging over performance No likes. No followers. No trending. FIMBY is for showing up, not showing off.

Care preferences Share how neighbours can care for you, on your terms: what support is welcome, what isn't, and how to reach out. All optional, all editable.

Support people Someone you trust can help you use FIMBY, posting and messaging on your behalf. Built for elders, disabled neighbours, and anyone who'd rather have a trusted someone help them take part.

Family profiles Parents can add a family profile from their own login, so a kid can be known by name while a parent is always the one at the keyboard.

Local organizations Community centres, shelters, churches, and other local groups can share events, meal times, and programs in the same neighbourhood feed.

PRIVACY AND RESPECT No ads. No data harvesting. No engagement metrics. Your neighbours aren't an audience to be monetized.

You choose what to share, with whom, and you can change your mind. Contact sharing is granular and revocable. Blocking is bidirectional.

Quiet by design Set quiet hours, choose what you hear about, and let the rest wait for morning. FIMBY is a doorbell, not a slot machine.

Delete anytime Go to Settings, then Delete my account. Your login is revoked right away, with a 30-day window to restore it if you change your mind.

WHO IT'S FOR FIMBY is for adults 19 and older in an active FIMBY neighbourhood. It's open to everyone, whatever your background or beliefs. You don't need to belong to any organization, church, or community group to find a place here.

A note on joining: after you sign up, a local volunteer moderator activates your account, so there can be a short wait before you're in. Borrowing items opens once a neighbour vouches for you; everything else, including skills, is open from day one.

FIMBY grew out of more than 20 years of neighbouring in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside: shared meals, prayer, lending, checking in, and local groups trying to care well for the same place.

It's not a replacement for shelters, health care, crisis lines, detox, or other essential services. It's one small way to help neighbours share everyday life and practical care, close to home.

Technology can make needs visible. It can make generosity easier to act on. It can open a door. But it cannot make us love our neighbours. That part is still ours to live. FIMBY helps make it a little less hard to start.

Currently available in Vancouver's V6A neighbourhood, and growing neighbourhood by neighbourhood.