A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide

Hoarding support in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

A respectful place to begin, whether you are looking for support for yourself, worried about someone you love, or trying to respond to a safety, housing, care, or practical concern in Ann Arbor or Washtenaw County.

People first.Then the stuff.A Fight the Blight initiative

Start here - Fight the Blight

You do not have to solve everything before asking for help.

Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and nearby communities. We can help you think through what is happening and what kind of next step may fit.

For immediate danger

Call 911 for a medical emergency, fire, violence, or immediate threat. For 24-hour Washtenaw County mental-health or substance-use crisis support, call Community Mental Health CARES at 734-544-3050; call or text 988 for nationwide crisis support. For emergency housing screening, call Housing Access for Washtenaw County at 734-961-1999.

First conversations

A few good places to start

You do not need to know the perfect service name before reaching out. These organizations can help you understand the landscape and identify a next step.

Local hoarding assessments, action planning, referrals, education, and volunteer clutter assistance - Washtenaw County; consent, capacity, suggested-donation, scheduling, and program rules apply

Hoarding Task Force of Washtenaw

The all-volunteer task force describes in-home hoarding-behavior assessments, safety and change-readiness review, action planning, referrals, and a Clutter Assistance Volunteer Program. It requests donations for assessments but says service is not contingent on ability to pay. Confirm current availability and scope; it is not emergency dispatch or guaranteed cleanup.

Voluntary, person-centered social support, short-term case management, and care connection - people connected to Ann Arbor; no financial barrier stated, but consent, referral, privacy, and capacity rules apply

Ann Arbor Supportive Connections

The City of Ann Arbor describes Supportive Connections as a voluntary, harm-reduction program for people experiencing behavioral-health concerns, substance-use challenges, housing instability, crisis, or other difficult circumstances. Individuals and community members may request help; the program is not emergency dispatch, therapy, housing placement, or cleanup.

24/7 mental-health and substance-use screening, referral, crisis, and public behavioral-health access - Washtenaw County; clinical, eligibility, insurance, ability-to-pay, and service rules apply

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health CARES

Washtenaw County says anyone in the county may call the CARES team at any time with mental-health or substance-use questions or concerns. Ask about screening, crisis response, current eligibility, coverage, ability-to-pay protections, and the right level of care. This is qualified care, not organizing or cleanup.

Peer-led mental-health support groups, family groups, education, and resource connection - Washtenaw County and online; schedules, registration, age, faith-group, and program rules vary

NAMI Washtenaw County

NAMI Washtenaw County offers online and local groups for adults living with mental-health conditions and for family members or friends. Its groups are not hoarding-specific treatment, crisis response, or cleanup. Confirm the current calendar, format, registration, cost, accessibility, and fit before attending.

Qualified-care, organizer, taskforce, and support search - national directory with Michigan and telehealth options; providers self-report and licensure, cost, insurance, waitlist, and service-area rules vary

IOCDF Hoarding Resource Directory

The International OCD Foundation directory can be searched for clinicians, programs, support groups, organizers, and taskforces that identify hoarding-related experience. Listings are not endorsements; verify credentials, fees, insurance, privacy, availability, and whether in-home or telehealth work fits.

Safety and stability

When the concern involves safety, housing, or crisis

These pathways serve different situations. Read the labels carefully before calling, especially when a response may involve crisis care, protective services, shelter, housing rules, legal advocacy, or emergency dispatch.

Immediate danger and emergency police, fire, or medical dispatch - Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County; use for fire, serious injury, violence, or an immediate threat

911 Emergency Services

Call 911 when there is immediate danger, fire, a medical emergency, violence, or a threat that cannot wait for a scheduled service. Emergency dispatch is not a hoarding-support program, counseling service, housing placement, or cleanup provider.

Free, confidential, 24/7 mental-health, emotional-distress, and substance-use crisis support - United States, including Michigan; response options vary and 988 does not replace 911 for immediate danger

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988 for suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, a mental-health or substance-use crisis, or concern about someone else. Ask what local support is available in Washtenaw County. Call 911 for fire, serious injury, violence, or another immediate threat.

24/7 county behavioral-health crisis screening, referral, and response - Washtenaw County; triage, clinical, eligibility, location, response, and capacity rules apply

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Crisis Services

Call Community Mental Health CARES for mental-health or substance-use crisis support and current local response instructions. Ask what mobile, walk-in, or referral option fits. Call 911 for immediate danger, fire, serious injury, or violence; this service is not housing placement or cleanup.

24/7 reporting, assessment, referral, and protection for suspected abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults - Michigan, including Washtenaw County; statutory screening and response criteria apply

Michigan Adult Protective Services

Michigan Adult Protective Services accepts reports when a vulnerable adult may be experiencing abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or exploitation. The state emphasizes self-determination and routes accepted referrals to the local county office. APS is not a general cleanup line; call 911 for immediate danger.

24/7 domestic-violence and sexual-assault helpline, confidential support, shelter, advocacy, and referrals - Washtenaw County; safe-contact, intake, program, and capacity rules apply

SafeHouse Center

SafeHouse Center's helpline is staffed around the clock for survivors and for family or friends seeking information. Use a safe way to contact the center and ask about current shelter, crisis support, counseling, legal advocacy, language access, and referrals. Call 911 for immediate danger.

Rental registration, inspections, certificates of compliance, housing-code complaints, smoke and carbon-monoxide requirements - Ann Arbor city limits; tenant, owner, inspection, notice, enforcement, and jurisdiction rules apply

Ann Arbor Rental Housing Services

Rental Housing Services inspects Ann Arbor rental units and accepts complaints about possible housing-code violations. This is a regulatory pathway that may involve landlord notice, inspection, deadlines, or enforcement; it is not emergency dispatch, legal representation, organizing help, or guaranteed relocation.

Planned fire-code, inspection, alarm, hazardous-material, exit, and life-safety pathway - Ann Arbor city limits; inspection, permit, property, fee, and jurisdiction rules apply; call 911 for fire or immediate danger

Ann Arbor Fire Prevention Bureau

The Fire Prevention Bureau handles planned inspection and fire-code questions and publishes life-safety requirements such as working emergency lighting, clear exits, safe electrical use, and storage clearances. Call 911 for smoke, fire, rescue, medical emergency, or immediate danger.

Central emergency-housing, homelessness, and housing-instability screening and referral - Washtenaw County; assessment, prioritization, documentation, household, program, and capacity rules apply

Housing Access for Washtenaw County

Housing Access for Washtenaw County is the central intake point for people and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Call for current screening and referrals. An assessment does not guarantee an open shelter bed, rent assistance, or permanent housing, and the service is not emergency dispatch.

Adult emergency shelter, warming center, meals, hygiene, storage, clinic, case management, and housing-support pathways - Washtenaw County; intake, schedule, eligibility, and bed-capacity rules apply

Shelter Association of Washtenaw County

The Shelter Association operates the Delonis Center in downtown Ann Arbor with residential and non-residential services for adults experiencing homelessness. Call before traveling to confirm current intake, bed availability, warming-center access, meals, hygiene, clinic hours, and other supports. Shelter is not guaranteed.

People and practical help

Housing, food, care, transportation, and ongoing support

These listings connect the local community with housing, food, behavioral health, benefits, transit, survivor advocacy, disability support, peer support, and practical resources. Ask about current availability, cost, scope, consent, and safety before relying on them.

Free community-resource navigation for housing, shelter, food, utilities, health care, benefits, transportation, and other needs - Michigan, including Washtenaw County; provider eligibility and capacity vary

Michigan 211

Call 211 or search Michigan 211 for current local services. Ask for Ann Arbor or Washtenaw County options and confirm details directly with each provider. A referral does not guarantee funding, an appointment, shelter, transportation, or another placement, and 211 is not emergency dispatch.

Aging, disability, caregiver, meals, transportation, in-home support, options counseling, Medicare, and long-term-care navigation - Washtenaw County and Southeast Michigan; age, disability, assessment, funding, and program rules apply

AgeWays Nonprofit Senior Services

AgeWays helps older adults, adults with disabilities, and caregivers locate services that support safety and independence. Ask about information and assistance, transportation, meals, caregiver help, home maintenance, accessibility, and community-living programs. It is not emergency dispatch or automatic cleanup funding.

Official accessibility ramp, air-conditioning, critical-repair, roof, rehabilitation, weatherization, and furnace pathways - participating Washtenaw County jurisdictions; ownership, income, property, funding, lien, and program rules apply

Washtenaw County Home Improvement Programs

Washtenaw County lists home-rehabilitation and improvement programs for eligible residents, including accessibility ramps, critical repairs, roof replacement, weatherization, and furnace support. Confirm whether an Ann Arbor address participates, the current application window, documents, funding, and project limits. These programs do not fund general decluttering.

Public and project-based housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, supportive housing, homeownership, and waitlist information - Ann Arbor and program jurisdictions; income, household, online-application, screening, waitlist, and availability rules apply

Ann Arbor Housing Commission

The Housing Commission manages subsidized housing and voucher pathways and publishes current waitlist status. Several lists may be closed while limited project-based opportunities remain. Applications are not emergency housing, should never require a fee to join a waitlist, and do not guarantee placement.

Nonprofit housing-discrimination complaint intake, testing, advocacy, conciliation, education, and reasonable-accommodation guidance - Washtenaw and surrounding counties; legal coverage, evidence, deadline, privacy, and case-review rules apply

Fair Housing Center of Southeast and Mid Michigan

The Fair Housing Center helps people understand and report housing discrimination and may assist with disability-related reasonable accommodations or modifications. Services are confidential but are not emergency shelter, guaranteed legal representation, or a promise of a particular outcome.

Free civil legal advice and representation for eligible low-income people, families, and older adults - Washtenaw County and South Central Michigan; income, issue, conflict, deadline, and case-acceptance rules apply

Legal Services of South Central Michigan

Legal Services of South Central Michigan handles eligible civil matters that may include housing, public benefits, consumer, and other noncriminal issues. Apply through the current intake route and protect court or eviction deadlines while waiting. An application does not create an attorney-client relationship or guarantee representation.

Federally qualified primary care, integrated behavioral health, psychiatry consultation, substance-use assessment, and support services - Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County; appointment, clinical, insurance, sliding-fee, and capacity rules apply

Packard Health

Packard Health offers integrated physical and behavioral-health services and states that medical care is not denied based on inability to pay at the time of service. Ask about current patient availability, insurance, sliding-fee documents, behavioral-health scope, referrals, and after-hours instructions. It is not hoarding cleanup.

Food bank, free and low-cost food network, meal programs, and live local food-resource search - Washtenaw County; site schedules, registration, household, supply, and partner rules vary

Food Gatherers

Food Gatherers supports a network of more than 140 Washtenaw County partners and operates direct meal and food programs. Use its current food-resource search or call to find nearby groceries or meals, then confirm hours, documents, accessibility, and supply with the specific site.

Fixed-route, ADA paratransit, senior demand-response, late-night, reduced-fare, and accessible transportation - Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area; route, application, eligibility, reservation, identification, and fare rules apply

TheRide

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority connects Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti-area communities. Ask about fixed routes, A-Ride paratransit, GoldRide, Fare Deal discounts, accessibility, advance reservations, current fares, and service boundaries before planning a trip.

Large-item, excess trash, recycling, and special-material drop-off - Ann Arbor; city pass, proof-of-residency, gate, item, weight, fee, hours, and commercial-use rules apply

Recycle Ann Arbor Drop-Off Station

The City directs residents to Recycle Ann Arbor's Drop-Off Station for many items that cannot go in curbside carts. Ann Arbor residents may apply for a pass that waives the entry fee, while item or service fees may still apply. Confirm accepted materials, safe transport, current hours, and charges before loading anything.

Household chemicals, paint, batteries, electronics, bulky waste, appliances, tires, and other special-disposal pathways - Washtenaw County residents; appointment, registration, event, material, quantity, residential-use, and fee rules apply

Washtenaw County Household Hazardous Waste and Cleanup Days

Washtenaw County operates appointment-based hazardous-waste options and seasonal cleanup events for county residents. Never mix or abandon hazardous materials. Review packing instructions, accepted items, residency requirements, registration, event dates, and fees before transporting materials.

Nonprofit affordable and permanent supportive housing with voluntary support services - Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County; property, referral, disability, income, waitlist, leasing, and availability rules apply

Avalon Housing

Avalon Housing develops and manages affordable supportive housing and provides voluntary services for people who have experienced homelessness or housing instability. Ask about current housing-access routes, property waitlists, eligibility, accessibility, referrals, and support scope. It does not provide emergency dispatch or guaranteed immediate housing.

Family emergency shelter, housing-focused case management, basic needs, and referrals - Washtenaw County; Housing Access referral, household, intake, program, and room-capacity rules apply

IHN at Alpha House

Alpha House operates congregate and scattered-site shelter pathways for families experiencing homelessness. All Washtenaw County shelter placements are filled through Housing Access, so call 734-961-1999 first. A referral does not guarantee a room, and Alpha House is not emergency dispatch or hoarding-specific care.

Private-pay hoarding support, organizing help, groups, decluttering, deep cleaning, and family guidance - broader service area; scope, cost, scheduling, travel, consent, safety, and provider-availability rules apply

The Peer Tree

The Peer Tree is the private-pay pathway for organizing help, decluttering support, deep cleaning, groups, family guidance, and practical next steps when a grant or public program is not the right fit. Ask about current availability in Ann Arbor or Washtenaw County, exact scope, cost, travel, consent, and safety before scheduling.

Digital peer-support pathway for people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns and for friends or family supporters - online; not therapy, clinical care, crisis response, or emergency support

Unburied

Unburied, from The Peer Tree, offers a judgment-free digital pathway with peer support, groups, and tools for people directly affected and for friends or family supporters. It can support learning and momentum between local steps, but it is not therapy, emergency response, or a substitute for qualified local care.

A note from the Alliance

Start with the person. Then decide what the situation needs.

This guide is anchored in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and includes city, county, state, nonprofit, national, and independent pathways. A listing here does not mean Fight the Blight endorses every provider or can guarantee availability. The Hoarding Alliance is not a city or county agency, therapy practice, emergency service, or cleanup company. We will keep reviewing this page, but please confirm details directly before relying on them.

Need help choosing a path? Contact Fight the Blight