A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide
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 Lake County.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Baldwin, Lake County, and other communities. We can help you think through what is happening and what kind of next step may fit.
Call 911 for a medical emergency, fire, violence, or immediate threat. For behavioral-health crisis support, call West Michigan Community Mental Health at 1-800-992-2061, or call or text 988. For housing or resource navigation, contact Michigan 211, Lake County's housing pathways, FiveCAP, TrueNorth, or the Baldwin Housing Commission.
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.
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, safety, and whether support is available in Baldwin or Lake County.
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, or a substitute for emergency help.
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 when someone is in immediate danger, there is a fire or medical emergency, violence, or a life-safety threat. Tell the dispatcher the location, immediate hazard, and any access or mobility issue responders should know.
Lake County Central Dispatch is located in the county seat of Baldwin and dispatches law enforcement, fire, and ambulance services. Call 911 for an emergency; the county lists 231-745-2711 for non-emergency routing.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office provides countywide law-enforcement and public-safety services from 1153 Michigan Avenue in Baldwin. Use 911 for an emergency and the office's current contact for routine questions or reports.
The Village of Baldwin is the local government starting point for village offices, water and wastewater, ordinances, zoning, planning, and municipal payments. Contact the village to identify the right department and call 911 for an active emergency.
Lake County Emergency Management coordinates preparedness and public-emergency information for rural communities, including severe storms, wildfires, flooding, and public-health emergencies. Use it for planning and alerts, not an active emergency.
Lake County Emergency Management publishes current public-alert and preparedness information. Register for available notifications and call 911 when there is immediate danger rather than waiting for an alert.
West Michigan Community Mental Health provides 24/7/365 crisis services, including mobile crisis and crisis stabilization, for people in its service area. Call 1-800-992-2061 for a live crisis response; use 911 for immediate physical danger.
West Michigan CMH's Behavioral Health Urgent Care offers a Baldwin telehealth option for urgent behavioral-health or substance-use concerns that do not require an emergency room. Call first to confirm the current connection process and use the 24/7 crisis line when it is closed.
Call or text 988, or use 988 chat, for immediate emotional distress, suicidal thoughts, or a behavioral-health crisis. 988 is not a hoarding-specific service and does not replace 911 for an immediate physical emergency.
COVE provides confidential advocacy, safety planning, and shelter support for survivors, including a Lake County office pathway. Call the 24/7 crisis line to discuss current options and do not use a public office address as a shelter-access substitute.
Michigan MDHHS Centralized Intake receives reports of suspected child abuse or neglect and adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Review the official guidance and use 855-444-3911; this is a protective-services report line, not a general hoarding-support referral.
District Health Department No. 10's Lake County office is at 5681 S. M-37 in Baldwin. It provides public-health and environmental-health services, including prevention, WIC, wells, septic, and inspections; contact the office for current program access.
Lake County Building provides a local pathway for building-code, permit, and inspection questions from its Baldwin county offices. Ask what jurisdiction handles an address before starting repairs or stabilization work; call 911 for active danger.
Michigan EGLE provides official hazardous-waste and environmental-management guidance. Review it before moving unknown chemicals, sharps, fuels, or other potentially hazardous materials; use qualified help and call 911 for an active spill, fire, or immediate danger.
The Lake County Prosecutor's Office is a county pathway for victim-service and court-information questions. Contact the office for current referral and case information; use COVE for confidential domestic- or sexual-violence advocacy and 911 for immediate danger.
Veterans, service members, and their loved ones can call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or use the Veterans Crisis Line chat. This is crisis support, not hoarding-specific care or a substitute for emergency responders.
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 Baldwin Housing Commission assists low-income families, seniors, and disabled people with affordable housing and may provide rental assistance. Contact the commission about current units, applications, accessibility, eligibility, and waitlists.
Michigan's current project-based-voucher listing identifies The Oaks in Baldwin and names TrueNorth as the lead agency. Use the listing to identify a possible housing pathway and confirm availability, screening, accessibility, and application steps directly.
MSHDA's housing-help guidance connects people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to local Housing Assessment and Resource Agency services, shelter, rental help, and utility resources. Use the local intake path and confirm current eligibility and capacity.
FiveCAP is a nonprofit community-action agency that operates more than 40 programs and provides housing and self-sufficiency pathways. Its Lake County office is at 2476 W. 44th Street in Baldwin; ask about current housing, utility, weatherization, and other assistance.
TrueNorth Community Services is named by Michigan housing materials as a lead agency for Lake County housing pathways. Contact TrueNorth to ask about current housing, utility, food, and supportive-service options and the right intake route.
Michigan 211 connects people with current local information about housing, food, utilities, health care, transportation, and other basic needs. Ask specifically for Lake County options and confirm each provider's hours, eligibility, capacity, and cost.
The Lake County 211 search provides local topics and referral navigation for food, housing, utilities, safety, mental health, health care, accessibility, and related needs. Confirm availability and eligibility with each listed provider.
MI Bridges is Michigan's online pathway to apply for and manage certain health, food, cash, child-care, and emergency-assistance benefits. Use 211 or the Lake County DHHS office if online access or application navigation is difficult.
Bread of Life Food Pantry serves Lake County from 740 Ninth Street in Baldwin and lists Wednesday distribution hours. Confirm the current schedule, address, household rules, and any non-food assistance before traveling.
Family Health Care's Baldwin clinic at 1615 Michigan Avenue offers primary care and additional health services, including behavioral health and dental care. Contact the clinic to ask about appointments, access, coverage, and payment options; call 911 for emergencies.
Pathfinder Community Library is at 812 Michigan Avenue in Baldwin and provides a local information and public-access pathway. Ask directly about current hours, internet, computers, printing, accessibility, and help locating reliable community resources.
Lake County Council on Aging is a local pathway for older adults and caregivers seeking meals, home support, social work, equipment, and help living safely and independently. Contact the council to confirm current programs and eligibility.
Lake County materials list a Baldwin meal-program site for older adults. Contact the county or Council on Aging to confirm the current location, schedule, registration, dietary information, and delivery options.
Lake County Veterans Services helps veterans, dependents, survivors, and families navigate earned benefits and local resources. Contact the office to ask about current benefits, health care, housing, transportation, and support pathways.
Michigan Legal Help provides self-help information, forms, and referrals for housing, consumer, family, public-benefits, and other civil-legal issues. Confirm current eligibility and referral limits and seek emergency help separately when needed.
Michigan DHHS provides a local pathway for public-benefits and human-services questions from its Baldwin office. Use MI Bridges or contact the office to ask about current programs, applications, documents, and emergency-assistance rules.
Lake County's Land Bank Authority is a county pathway for questions about public property, redevelopment, and land-bank programs. Contact the county to identify current program scope and jurisdiction; it is not a substitute for emergency responders or private cleanup.
Lake County's Register of Deeds provides a local pathway for real-property records and recording questions. Use it for official records and filing information and seek legal advice for document preparation or disputes.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Baldwin, 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