A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide
A respectful local 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 Appleton and the Fox Cities.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Fight the Blight is the nonprofit and virtual-group front door for people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns. People in Appleton can also use city, county, state, nonprofit, and independent pathways for crisis response, housing, aging, disability, protective services, benefits, legal information, disposal, and care navigation. No outside listing is an endorsement; each organization sets its own eligibility, cost, hours, service area, capacity, consent, and safety rules.
For immediate danger, fire, serious injury, or a life-threatening medical emergency, call 911. For emotional distress or behavioral-health crisis support, call or text 988 or Outagamie County's crisis line at 920-832-4646. For shelter, food, and basic-needs navigation, review Wisconsin 211, Appleton's Basic Needs and Coordinated Entry route, and Pillars.
First conversations
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.
Use Wisconsin 211 to identify current local resources for shelter, food, housing, utilities, mental health, substance use, benefits, and other needs. A referral is not a guarantee of an open bed, appointment, benefit, or service, so confirm the direct provider's current details.
Outagamie County Health and Human Services supports vulnerable residents, families, people with disabilities, and people facing mental-health or substance-use concerns. The county's current service page identifies crisis, adult and elder abuse, child safety, environmental-health hazards, caregiver support, transportation, and benefits pathways. Ask which division fits the situation and what eligibility or documentation applies.
Outagamie County lists 920-832-4646 as its 24-hour mental-health crisis line and also identifies 800-719-4418 for crisis intervention. Crisis staff can help with evaluation and counseling; this is not a cleanup or housing-placement service. Call 911 for a medical emergency or immediate danger.
Outagamie County's 2026 Aging and Disability Resource Center directory gathers local contacts and planning information for aging, disability, crisis, housing, food, health care, transportation, legal, and other needs. Use it to identify a pathway, then confirm hours, eligibility, capacity, privacy, and scope directly.
Partnership Community Health Center says it is accepting new medical, behavioral-health, and pediatric dental patients and can help with BadgerCare+, Marketplace enrollment, and its sliding-fee scale. Ask about current appointments, fees, service locations, and behavioral-health scope.
Outagamie County's current service page lists public-health, environmental-health hazard, adult and elder safety, child safety, and crisis contacts. Use 911 for an emergency and ask the county which department can address a current health or home-safety concern. This is not a hoarding cleanup service.
The City of Appleton identifies a Basic Needs and Coordinated Entry pathway for housing instability, shelter, and related assistance. Use it for local navigation, not as a promise of immediate placement; confirm the current access point, documentation, assessment, and shelter availability before traveling.
Safety and stability
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.
Call 911 for a fire, medical emergency, violence, immediate threat, or dangerous condition that cannot wait for a scheduled service. Emergency dispatch is not a hoarding-support program, counseling service, or cleanup provider.
Call or text 988, or use online chat, for emotional distress, suicidal thoughts, mental-health or substance-use crisis, or concern about a loved one. Call 911 for immediate danger or an emergency medical need.
Outagamie County provides 24-hour crisis evaluation and counseling through its crisis line. Call for behavioral-health crisis support, and call 911 when a person is in immediate danger or needs emergency medical care. Crisis services are not a cleanup provider or housing-placement guarantee.
Outagamie County lists 920-832-4646 for adult or elder abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and crisis reporting. Wisconsin APS recognizes self-neglect and protects an adult's right to self-determination; call 911 for immediate danger and ask about the current reporting process.
Wisconsin DHS explains how to report suspected abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or financial exploitation to the county where the adult at risk lives. Call 911 when the situation is life-threatening or immediately dangerous; APS is not hoarding treatment or cleanup.
Outagamie County lists a dedicated child-abuse and neglect contact. Use this pathway for child-safety concerns, and call 911 for an immediate threat. It is not a general hoarding-support service or cleanup program.
Pillars operates adult and adult-and-family shelters and a resource center. Its current guidance says the shelters can serve up to 140 people but operate from a waitlist; people seeking shelter should go in person to a Pillars crisis-housing site and check in daily if eligible. Confirm current capacity and accessibility before traveling.
Harbor House provides a confidential, accessible, 68-bed shelter and support for adults and children experiencing domestic abuse, including short-term housing and safety resources. Its current page says the shelter is open around the clock and does not use a waiting list for people needing protection from abuse. Use the confidential intake pathway; call 911 for immediate danger.
COTS provides transitional housing, food, household needs, and living-skills support for single adults, young adults, veterans, and single mothers with children. Its current page lists a $285 monthly program fee and a one-time $100 security deposit. It is transitional housing rather than an emergency drop-in shelter; confirm application and current openings.
Appleton Housing Authority offers public-housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs and publishes applications and waiting-list information. Its current applications page says online waiting lists close August 25, 2026 during a software transition and are expected to reopen the week of September 7, while paper applications remain accepted. Confirm current openings, accessibility, required documents, and reasonable accommodations; this is not emergency shelter.
Outagamie County Housing Authority describes income-based apartments and scattered family units in Appleton, with rent generally based on adjusted income. Confirm current availability, application process, accessibility, and waitlist status directly; this is not emergency shelter.
Appleton Housing Authority lists emergency assistance and utility allowances among its resident and application resources. Contact the authority to determine whether the current program fits the situation or whether another local provider must handle the request; an application is not a guarantee of assistance.
People and practical help
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.
The ADRC offers no-cost, unbiased information, assistance referrals, benefit and long-term-care enrollment counseling, short-term case management, caregiver support, and health-promotion programs for older adults, adults with disabilities, caregivers, family members, professionals, and others. Ask for the right pathway based on age, disability, safety, income, and service needs; individual programs may have waitlists or eligibility rules.
Valley Transit provides fixed-route service and rider information for Appleton and nearby Fox Cities communities. Check current routes, hours, service alerts, fares, and accessibility before planning a trip to a shelter, clinic, pantry, or housing appointment.
Valley Transit II provides door-to-door basic service for certified riders whose disability prevents use of fixed-route transit. Published fares and service areas apply, and the service is not for emergency or urgent medical transportation.
LEAVEN helps households navigate resources and may provide emergency financial assistance for rent, mortgage, security deposits, utilities, car repairs, transportation, childcare, diapers, and hygiene items. Its current 2026 guidance says an appointment is required for financial and transportation assistance, while some hygiene items and diapers are available as needed and as supplies allow. Confirm current eligibility and funding.
Partnership can help people enroll in BadgerCare+ or Marketplace coverage and publishes a sliding-fee approach for patients who qualify. Its current service information says it accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and many commercial plans for primary care and offers integrated behavioral health. Ask about current service locations, fees, appointment openings, and scope.
Tayo Clinic describes free or low-cost telehealth mental and behavioral-health services for uninsured or homebound Wisconsin patients. It states that its care does not replace emergency or long-term care and has limits on severe psychiatric conditions; confirm fit, availability, and current eligibility before relying on it.
Vivent Health's Appleton location provides integrated care and lists behavioral healthcare, food and nutrition services, and housing assistance among its support areas. Confirm current eligibility, privacy, appointments, and whether the service fits the concern; this is not a hoarding-specific referral guarantee.
Wisconsin's Home Energy Assistance program provides assistance for heating costs, electric costs, and energy-crisis situations. Confirm current application windows, required documents, local agency, and whether a shutoff or crisis rule changes the intake path.
Legal Action of Wisconsin provides civil legal help to eligible low-income residents. Ask about housing, eviction, benefits, discrimination, debt, or other civil matters and confirm current intake priorities before relying on representation. It is not emergency legal response or a cleanup service.
Wisconsin Housing Search helps residents look for available rental housing and housing resources. Listings are not a guarantee that a unit is open, affordable, accessible, or a fit, so confirm directly with the property and ask about application requirements and reasonable accommodations.
The Appleton Housing Authority explains that voucher eligibility is based on household income and family size and is limited to U.S. citizens and specified eligible noncitizens. Its current applications page says online waitlists are temporarily closed during a software transition while paper applications remain accepted; confirm current status, documents, and reasonable accommodations before applying.
The county's current 2026 ADRC materials explain self-neglect and adult-at-risk reporting and identify 920-832-4646 for crisis and protective-services concerns. A capable adult's choices and privacy remain important; call 911 for emergencies and confirm the current county process before reporting.
The Peer Tree is the private-pay pathway for organizing help, decluttering support, groups, family guidance, and practical next steps when a grant or public program is not the right fit. Ask about scope, cost, travel, consent, and safety in Appleton or the Fox Cities before beginning.
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 is not therapy, a crisis service, cleanup, or a substitute for emergency help.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Appleton, Wisconsin, 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