A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide

Hoarding support in Bay City, 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, health, or practical concern in Bay City or elsewhere in Bay County.

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

Start here - Fight the Blight

You do not have to solve the whole situation before asking for help.

Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Bay City, Bay 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. Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health provides 24-hour crisis support at 989-895-2300 or 800-327-4693. For housing instability or emergency-assistance questions, call Mid-Michigan Community Action at 989-894-9060 and ask about current Bay County intake.

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.

Qualified public behavioral-health assessment, service connection, and substance-use access - Bay and Arenac counties; intake, clinical, insurance, ability-to-pay, eligibility, and capacity rules apply

Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health Access Services

Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health provides access staff who help people understand available mental-health and substance-use services and connect with an appropriate pathway. Ask whether hoarding-related concerns fit an assessment or referral and what current eligibility, coverage, or ability-to-pay rules apply. This is qualified care, not organizing or cleanup.

Aging, caregiver, meals, homemaking, personal-care, respite, case-management, and information-and-referral pathway - Bay County residents age 60 and older; assessment, contribution, waitlist, and program rules apply

Bay County Department on Aging

Bay County Department on Aging helps older residents and caregivers understand meals, homemaking, personal care, respite, case management, and other in-home or community supports. Published programs use an intake and may request a contribution; some services have waitlists or additional eligibility rules. Ask what fits the household and whether a home visit is required.

Free, confidential, 24/7 community-resource navigation - Michigan, including Bay City and Bay County; provider eligibility, funding, hours, and capacity vary

Michigan 211

Call 211 or search Michigan 211 for current housing, shelter, food, utilities, health care, transportation, benefits, and other local services. Ask for Bay City or Bay County options and confirm details with each provider. A referral does not guarantee funding, an appointment, shelter, transportation, or another placement, and 211 is not emergency dispatch.

Lived-experience-led peer and family support, education, and advocacy - includes Bay County through a regional affiliate; current meeting location, schedule, registration, and program rules vary

NAMI Middle Michigan

NAMI Middle Michigan serves Bay County and neighboring communities with peer and family support, education, and advocacy. Its published meetings are regional rather than a Bay City-specific hoarding group. Confirm the current location, format, privacy, accessibility, and whether a family or peer group is the right fit before attending.

Qualified-care, organizer, taskforce, and support search - national directory with Michigan and telehealth options; listings are not endorsements 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. Providers submit their information and IOCDF does not endorse their competence. Verify credentials, fees, insurance, privacy, availability, and whether in-home or telehealth work fits. This is not emergency response.

Local public-health, environmental-health, immunization, screening, family-planning, emergency-preparedness, and health-navigation pathway - Bay County; program, appointment, fee, and eligibility rules vary

Bay County Health Department

The Bay County Health Department publishes public-health, environmental-health, immunization, screening, family-planning, emergency-preparedness, and health-education pathways from Bay City. Contact the department to confirm the current service, appointment, fee, accessibility, and referral process. Public health is not a hoarding-specific treatment, cleanup, or emergency-dispatch service.

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 police, fire, or medical dispatch - Bay City, Bay County, and surrounding jurisdictions; 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, a dangerous utility or structural condition, or a threat that cannot wait for a planned service. Give the dispatcher the exact address and relevant hazards or mobility needs. Emergency dispatch is not hoarding support, counseling, housing placement, or cleanup.

24/7 crisis phone support, psychiatric emergency response, mobile response, and behavioral-health connection - Bay and Arenac counties; clinical triage, response, and program rules apply

Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health 24-Hour Crisis Support

Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health says its emergency-services staff are available 24 hours a day, every day, and publishes a crisis phone line for personal or psychiatric crises. Its Mobile Response Team may meet people at home or in the community during published service windows. Call 911 for fire, violence, serious injury, or immediate danger; this is not shelter, organizing, or cleanup.

Free, confidential, 24/7 emotional-distress, mental-health, and substance-use crisis support - Michigan; trained crisis counselors, with local routing that varies by caller area code

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline / Michigan Crisis and Access Line

Call or text 988 for suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, a mental-health or substance-use crisis, or concern about someone else. Michigan also publishes a statewide crisis-and-access pathway. Call 911 for fire, serious injury, violence, or another immediate threat; 988 does not replace emergency dispatch.

24/7 reporting, assessment, referral, and protection for suspected abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults - Michigan, including Bay 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. APS coordinates accepted concerns with local systems while respecting applicable self-determination rights. It is not a general cleanup line; call 911 for immediate danger.

Confidential domestic-violence and sexual-assault crisis line, safety planning, shelter, advocacy, transportation, and referrals - Bay and Arenac counties; safe-contact, intake, shelter-capacity, and program rules apply

Bay Area Women’s Center

Bay Area Women’s Center publishes crisis lines and survivor services for Bay and Arenac counties, including safety planning, emergency shelter, advocacy, and referrals. Use a safe device or phone when privacy is a concern and confirm current intake and shelter capacity. This is not hoarding-specific care or cleanup. Call 911 for immediate danger.

Emergency shelter, meals, clothing, case management, and referrals - Bay City and the Great Lakes Bay Region; household, conduct, intake, bed-capacity, religious-programming, and length-of-stay rules apply

Good Samaritan Rescue Mission

Good Samaritan Rescue Mission publishes emergency shelter services for homeless men, women, children, intact families, and veterans from its Bay City campus. Contact the mission to confirm current intake, bed availability, household arrangements, privacy, and stay expectations before relying on a placement. It is not emergency dispatch, hoarding treatment, or cleanup.

Property-maintenance, nuisance, debris, dumping, dangerous-building, rental, and code-compliance pathway - Bay City city limits; inspection, correction, notice, appeal, fee, and enforcement consequences may apply

City of Bay City Code Enforcement and Nuisance Enforcement

Bay City Code Enforcement responds to concerns involving debris, dumping, nuisance conditions, property maintenance, rentals, and related city codes. The city publishes complaint and contact pathways and may offer time to correct a violation, but formal notices, hearings, costs, or enforcement can follow. Consider consent, housing stability, safety, and support before reporting. This is not counseling or cleanup.

Planned fire-code information, prevention, consultation, inspection, and public-safety pathway - Bay City city limits; jurisdiction, inspection, correction, citation, and scheduling rules apply

Bay City Fire Code and Fire Operations

Bay City publishes fire-code and Fire Operations information for prevention, emergency response, and questions about conditions that may affect life safety. Call 911 for an active fire, smoke, serious injury, or immediate threat. Planned contact is not a promise of clearance, relocation, organizing, or cleanup, and correction requirements may apply.

24-hour emergency medical and hospital pathway, with behavioral-health and rehabilitation services - Bay City and the Great Lakes Bay Region; clinical triage, admission, insurance, payment, and capacity rules apply

McLaren Bay Region Emergency Department

McLaren Bay Region publishes a 24-hour Emergency Department and hospital-based medical, behavioral-health, rehabilitation, and care-coordination pathways in Bay City. Use the Emergency Department or call 911 for a medical emergency, fire, serious injury, or immediate danger. Ask the hospital about current behavioral-health intake, coverage, accessibility, and follow-up; it is not a cleanup service.

Income-based public and assisted housing, senior and disability housing, and family housing pathway - Bay City; application, income, household, waitlist, accessibility, and federal-program rules apply

Bay City Housing Commission

The Bay City Housing Commission operates income-based and assisted housing programs, including senior or disability-focused high-rise communities and scattered-site family housing. Its published contact page lists applications and offices, but eligibility, waitlists, unit availability, accessibility, and documentation must be confirmed directly. Housing placement is not emergency shelter, crisis response, or cleanup.

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.

Housing stability, energy assistance, food, financial empowerment, and community-action navigation - Bay County and Mid-Michigan; income, household, program, document, funding, and capacity rules vary

Mid-Michigan Community Action - Bay County Community Action Center

Mid-Michigan Community Action lists a Bay County Community Action Center in Bay City and serves residents through housing support, food and nutrition, energy assistance, early-childhood, veteran, and other community-action programs. Ask about the current program, application, documents, income rules, deadlines, and whether a housing or utility concern has a separate intake. Assistance is not guaranteed and this is not emergency dispatch.

CDBG, HOME, housing strategy, and emergency-repair navigation - Bay City; income, ownership, occupancy, property, inspection, scope, funding, and program rules apply

City of Bay City Community Development and Emergency Rehabilitation

Bay City's Community Development Department administers CDBG and HOME programs and publishes an Emergency Rehabilitation Program for repairs such as roofs, hot-water tanks, furnaces, sewer, and plumbing. Confirm whether funding and the current application are open, what ownership or income rules apply, and whether an inspection is required. This is repair assistance, not organizing or whole-home cleanup.

County housing-rehabilitation funding and application pathway - Bay County; homeowner, income, property, occupancy, inspection, scope, funding, and contractor rules apply

Bay County Housing Rehabilitation Program

Bay County publishes housing-rehabilitation program information for homeowners who need help understanding possible repair funding. Read the current program qualifications and contact the county to confirm whether the application is open, what property and income conditions apply, and what repairs or inspections are eligible. Funding is not guaranteed and the program is not emergency dispatch, organizing, or cleanup.

Aging, care management, MI Choice Medicaid waiver, Medicare and Medicaid counseling, caregiver, legal, and in-home-support navigation - Bay County and the region; age, disability, Medicaid, assessment, and program rules vary

Region 7 Area Agency on Aging

Region 7 Area Agency on Aging serves Bay County and publishes aging services, care management, MI Choice, Medicare and Medicaid counseling, health, legal, caregiver, and in-home-support pathways. Ask what serves the household, whether an assessment is required, and what age, disability, income, Medicaid, waitlist, or provider rules apply. This is not emergency response or cleanup.

Free civil-legal help for eligible low-income residents, seniors, housing, public-benefits, and safety issues - includes Bay County; intake, financial, issue, priority, and capacity rules apply

Legal Services of Eastern Michigan

Legal Services of Eastern Michigan provides free civil legal help in Bay County and other Mid-Michigan counties, with published focus areas that include housing, public benefits, and survival needs. Eligibility is assessed during intake; seniors and some housing or discrimination matters may have different rules. Contact the organization before a deadline and ask whether it can address the specific issue. It does not handle criminal matters or provide cleanup.

Free primary-care access for eligible uninsured or catastrophically insured people - located in Bay County and open to patients from Michigan; income, insurance, intake, schedule, and clinical rules apply

Helen M. Nickless Free Clinic

The Helen M. Nickless Volunteer Clinic provides primary care through licensed professionals and volunteers and says it accepts eligible patients from all Michigan counties. Its published eligibility includes income under 250% of the poverty level and no insurance or catastrophic insurance, with annual intake. The clinic is scheduled for Wednesday evenings; call for current details and use an Emergency Department for emergencies.

Nonprofit home repair, homeownership, and housing-stability pathway - Bay County; ownership, occupancy, income, property, program, inspection, and capacity rules apply

Bay County Habitat for Humanity

Bay County Habitat for Humanity publishes home repair and homeownership opportunities intended to help local families live in safer, more stable homes. Contact the affiliate to confirm whether its current program fits the property, household, repair scope, ownership, income, and occupancy situation. This is not emergency repair, organizing, or general cleanup, and program openings are not guaranteed.

State food-benefit application and account pathway - Michigan, including Bay County; income, household, work-rule, documentation, eligibility, and benefit rules apply

Michigan Food Assistance and MI Bridges

Michigan's Food Assistance Program provides SNAP benefits through a Bridge Card for eligible households. Use MI Bridges to apply, check status, report changes, and review eligibility information. Current federal work rules and household circumstances may affect eligibility; confirm directly with Michigan DHHS. Food benefits are not emergency dispatch or a guarantee of immediate food delivery.

Local nonprofit basic-needs, food, seasonal, and emergency-assistance pathway - Bay City; program, faith-based, intake, availability, and eligibility rules vary

The Salvation Army - Bay City

The Salvation Army lists Bay City Corps and a thrift store location in Bay City. Contact the local corps to ask what current food, emergency, seasonal, or basic-needs assistance is available, what documentation or intake is required, and whether the program fits the household. Services and capacity change; this is not a hoarding-specific service, clinical care, or emergency dispatch.

Fixed-route, regional, and DART accessible transportation - Bay City and Bay County connections; route, fare, reservation, eligibility, accessibility, and service-area rules apply

Bay Metro Transit Authority

Bay Metro publishes fixed routes, regional connections, and DART Dial-A-Ride information from Bay City. Review current schedules and call before planning a medical, housing, food, or support trip, especially when a reservation or accessibility accommodation is needed. Transit is not emergency transportation and does not provide in-home service.

City trash, recycling, yard-waste, brush, cart, collection-day, and move-out information - Bay City residents and businesses; item, schedule, fee, placement, and service rules apply

City of Bay City Sanitation

Bay City Sanitation publishes trash, recycling, yard-waste, brush, cart, collection-day, and service information. Review the current address-based schedule and overflow or move-out rules before placing material at the curb. Ask about accepted items, fees, and safe handling; this is not an in-home cleanup or hauling service.

Appointment-based recycling, food-scrap, and drop-off pathway - Bay City; proof of residency, accepted-item, fee, appointment, unloading, and safety rules apply

Bay City Recycles Drop-Off Center

Bay City publishes an appointment-based Recycles Drop-Off Center at 2900 N Water Street. The city says residents should bring proof of residency, review rates and accepted items, and be able to unload without staff assistance. Confirm the appointment, item list, fees, safe packaging, and transport plan before moving material. This is not in-home removal or cleanup.

Public library, computer, reference, meeting-room, local-information, and community-program pathway - Bay City and Bay County; hours, registration, accessibility, and participation rules vary

Alice and Jack Wirt Public Library

Alice and Jack Wirt Public Library is the central library for the Bay County Library System and publishes computers, reference help, meeting rooms, local information, and community programming. It can be a practical place to access forms, benefit information, online applications, and quiet connection. Confirm current hours, accessibility, program registration, and privacy before relying on a visit.

Primary care, rehabilitation, inpatient therapy, home health, hospice, and specialty-care pathway - Bay City and the region; referral, clinical, insurance, payment, and capacity rules apply

McLaren Bay Region Primary and Rehabilitation Care

McLaren Bay Region publishes primary care, physical and inpatient rehabilitation, home health, hospice, specialty care, and hospital services in Bay City. Ask a care team about the current referral, insurance, accessibility, discharge-planning, and follow-up process. This is qualified health care, not hoarding treatment, organizing, or cleanup, and it does not replace emergency care.

Private-pay nonclinical hoarding and clutter support, organizing help, groups, and family guidance - broader service area; scope, cost, scheduling, travel, consent, safety, and capacity rules apply

The Peer Tree

The Peer Tree is the separate private-pay pathway for practical, peer-centered hoarding and clutter support, including organizing help, groups, and guidance for friends and family. Ask about current availability in Bay City or Bay County, service area, scope, pacing, privacy, travel, and fees. It is not therapy, emergency response, or a promise of local in-person service.

Digital peer-support pathway for people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns and friends or family supporters - online; current account, feature, group, cost, and availability terms apply; not therapy or emergency support

Unburied

Unburied, owned by The Peer Tree, offers a judgment-free digital pathway with peer support, structured tools, groups, and separate personal and supporter experiences. It can be used from Bay City or elsewhere, but it is not therapy, clinical care, crisis response, emergency service, housing placement, or cleanup.

A note from the Alliance

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

This guide is anchored in Bay City, 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