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 Baltimore City or Baltimore County.
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 Baltimore City and Baltimore County can also use city, county, statewide, nonprofit, national, and independent pathways for crisis, housing, aging, disability, protective services, benefits, food, utilities, care, repairs, waste, and practical navigation. City and County systems are separate; confirm which jurisdiction applies. 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 behavioral-health crisis support in Baltimore City or County, call or text 988. For Maryland resource navigation, call 2-1-1. For a city service or property concern, use Baltimore City 311 only within city limits; confirm whether a concern is in Baltimore City or Baltimore County before relying on a local program.
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.
CBT Baltimore currently describes specialized hoarding therapy using cognitive-behavioral approaches and exposure and response prevention, with in-person and telehealth sessions. Ask about clinician credentials, insurance, fees, wait time, home-based support, and whether the approach fits the person’s goals; therapy is not emergency care or a cleanup service.
The Maryland Anxiety Center says its clinicians treat hoarding disorder and related anxiety conditions with CBT, and that services can include individual therapy, group therapy, and home or out-of-office sessions. Confirm current clinicians, credentials, fees, insurance, service area, privacy, and availability directly. This is a clinical pathway, not a crisis or emergency service.
Sheppard Pratt describes outpatient therapy, adult OCD support groups, family psychoeducation, teletherapy, consultation, and residential services through its Center for OCD and Anxiety. The current page does not establish that every service is designed for hoarding; ask specifically about hoarding-related care, age requirements, insurance, and level of support before relying on a referral.
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.
Baltimore City Adult Protective Services serves adults who may be unable to protect their own interests or may be at risk of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or exploitation. Maryland’s current local-office pages list City APS contacts and direct residents to local Department of Social Services pathways. Use APS for a genuine protective concern, not as a general clutter referral; call 911 for immediate danger.
Maryland DHS directs reports of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and exploitation to the local department of social services. Use the current directory to find the correct contact for Baltimore City, Baltimore County, or another Maryland jurisdiction. Ask what information is needed and what voluntary services may be available; APS is not guaranteed cleanup or housing placement.
Maryland’s Behavioral Health Administration directs people with an urgent behavioral-health issue or crisis to call or text 988 or use 988 chat. The service can connect people to immediate crisis support when appropriate. Call 911 for a medical emergency, fire, immediate threat, or situation requiring emergency dispatch. 988 is not a cleanup or housing service.
Baltimore City 311 connects city residents, businesses, and visitors with city services through a live agent, website, and mobile app. Current suggested request categories include bulk trash pickup, housing inspection for trash or weeds, and city trash or recycling-can issues. Use it only for a Baltimore City service concern; call 911 for emergencies.
Maryland DHCD lists local homeless-service entry points, including Baltimore City and Baltimore County shelter and housing navigation. Baltimore City’s current homelessness system uses Coordinated Access and navigators, while winter-shelter responses and capacity can change. Confirm the local jurisdiction, access point, transportation, accessibility, documentation, and current shelter availability before relying on a referral.
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.
Maryland Access Point is the state gateway for long-term services and supports. Current Maryland Department of Aging information lists phone and local pathways for Baltimore City and Baltimore County and says MAP specialists help older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, professionals, and others identify and access public and private resources. Ask which local office and program fit; eligibility and capacity vary.
Baltimore City’s current 311 system lists bulk-trash pickup as a city service request and directs residents to confirm the current schedule, accepted items, placement, and any appliance restrictions. Use this for Baltimore City addresses only; it is disposal information, not a home cleanout crew, hoarding treatment, or emergency response.
Baltimore County’s Department of Aging connects older adults and families to caregiver programs, nutrition, transportation, housing and community services, and other supports. Confirm whether the household is in Baltimore County, the relevant age or disability criteria, and current program capacity; Baltimore City uses separate aging and MAP pathways.
The Peer Tree offers a private-pay pathway for organizing help, decluttering and deep-cleaning coordination, support groups, and guidance for friends and family. It is a separate organization from Fight the Blight and the Hoarding Alliance. Ask about service area, scope, pricing, privacy, consent, pacing, and what can be provided virtually or in person before beginning.
Unburied is a digital, peer-led pathway from The Peer Tree for people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns, including friends and family supporters. It offers judgment-free connection and tools that can support ongoing momentum. It is not therapy, emergency response, or a replacement for local crisis, medical, housing, or protective-services pathways.
Maryland 211’s searchable directory can connect people to housing, shelter, home maintenance and repair, subsidized rental housing, utility assistance, caregiver support, and other practical services. Search by ZIP code and ask about current capacity, documentation, language access, and whether a navigator can help coordinate a safer next step.
The International OCD Foundation directory can be searched by city, state, or ZIP code for clinicians, programs, support groups, and professional organizers. IOCDF says listings are self-reported and are not endorsements or guarantees of competence, availability, fees, insurance, or fit. Use the directory as a lead and verify credentials, consent, pacing, privacy, and safety.
This independent provider advertises hoarding cleanup in the Baltimore area. It is not affiliated with Fight the Blight or the Alliance. Before agreeing to work, request a written scope, pricing, insurance information, disposal plan, privacy practices, and a pace that keeps the person involved wherever possible.
HUD’s Find Shelter tool searches by location for shelter, housing, health-care, and clothing resources. It is a search tool rather than a guarantee of placement. Use it with Maryland 211 and local housing providers, and confirm current hours, eligibility, transportation, accessibility, and capacity before relying on a result.
HABC’s current public notices and applicant pages distinguish public-housing, senior, accessible, project-based, and tenant-based voucher lists. Waiting-list status can change by program and application windows can close quickly. Check the current HABC notice and MyHousing Portal, keep contact information updated, and ask about reasonable accommodations; housing assistance does not include cleanup by itself.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Baltimore, Maryland, 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