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 Jefferson 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 Birmingham and Jefferson County can also use city, county, regional, statewide, national, and independent pathways for crisis, housing, aging, disability, protective services, benefits, food, shelter, legal help, health care, peer support, and practical 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 behavioral-health crisis support, call or text 988, or use the Craig Crisis Care Center's 24/7/365 walk-in crisis pathway. For housing, food, utilities, transportation, and basic-needs navigation, call 211 Alabama or review One Roof, HABD, United Way of Central Alabama, and city-supported entry points. Crisis, shelter, and public-resource availability can change; confirm directly before traveling.
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.
United Way of Central Alabama's 211 Call Center offers free, confidential information and referral for food, housing, utility help, health care, mental-health care, aging, veteran support, transportation, and other essentials. Ask for Jefferson County options and confirm eligibility, capacity, hours, and referral requirements with each program.
JBS Mental Health Authority provides individualized mental-health services to children, youth, and adults in the Birmingham area and operates the Craig Crisis Care Center. Ask whether the current team can address hoarding-related concerns, what assessment is needed, and which care or crisis route fits.
The Alabama Department of Mental Health identifies the Craig Crisis Care Center at 401 Beacon Parkway West in Birmingham as a 24/7/365 walk-in crisis center serving behavioral-health, substance-use, and suicidal crises. Services include crisis stabilization, clinical evaluation, psychiatric care, and referrals; this is not cleanup or ongoing organizing. Call 205-263-1701 or 988, and call 911 for immediate danger.
The International OCD Foundation directory lists Patricia Jolly-Fleece, PhD, in the Hoover/Birmingham area and describes adult OCD and anxiety treatment using behavioral, CBT, and ERP approaches. This is an independent clinical lead, not an Alliance or Fight the Blight provider. Ask about current hoarding-disorder experience, fees, insurance, wait time, privacy, and whether home-based work is offered.
Jefferson County Senior Services describes transportation, resource information, caregiver and professional networking, and other supports for older adults. It is navigation rather than hoarding-specific therapy or automatic cleanup funding. Ask which current service, benefits, or caregiver pathway fits the person's needs.
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.
Alabama DHR describes APS as a protection and support pathway for elderly or disabled adults who may face abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or exploitation. Use it for a genuine protective concern, not as a general cleanup referral. The statewide intake number is 1-800-458-7214; call 911 for immediate danger. Intake, county response, and consent or capacity rules apply.
Call or text 988 for emotional distress, a mental-health or substance-use crisis, or concern about someone else. 988 is not a cleanup provider and does not guarantee an in-home response. Call 911 for immediate danger, fire, violence, or a medical emergency.
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, behavioral-health counseling service, or cleanup provider. When the situation is not immediately dangerous, begin with a support, care, or navigation pathway.
Jefferson County describes a community-based crisis-intervention and response program operated with JBS Mental Health Authority for people who come to the attention of the county family courts or need an appropriate mental-health response. Ask what current response is available and whether the situation fits. This is not a hoarding cleanup or organizing service; use 911 for immediate danger.
The Crisis Center lists a 24/7 local Crisis and Suicide Line, plus senior and recovery support lines. It can provide emotional crisis support and connection, not cleanup, housing placement, or clinical treatment guarantees. Call 911 for a medical emergency or immediate danger.
One Roof operates HUD-mandated Coordinated Entry for Central Alabama and describes street outreach, case management, referrals to shelter or permanent housing, and SOAR help for eligible people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It is not a cleanup service or a guarantee of housing. Ask about the current access point and screening process.
HABD administers public housing and Housing Choice Voucher pathways and describes affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households. Waitlists, openings, and eligibility change. Ask about current applications, reasonable accommodations, household support needs, maintenance, and any housing deadline.
Birmingham's 311 and Public Works pathways connect residents to current city service reporting, including missed garbage or bulk pickup and neighborhood concerns. Confirm that the address is inside Birmingham city limits and what response a report can produce. It is a city service or regulatory pathway, not voluntary hoarding support, therapy, or emergency dispatch.
Jefferson County lists emergency repair and housing programs for income-eligible homeowners who have occupied their homes for at least one year. The county says its CDBG consortium excludes Birmingham, Bessemer, Sumiton, and Helena, so city residents must use a different route. Confirm the address, ownership, documents, and funding before relying on it.
ADECA administers Alabama's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program through local community-action agencies. The program targets low-income households, including households with older adults, disabilities, or young children, and says income generally cannot exceed 150% of the federal poverty level. Contact the local agency and confirm current funding and intake.
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.
Birmingham Public Works publishes current neighborhood schedules for household garbage, recycling, brush, and bulk-trash collection. The current page includes August and September 2026 calendars and directs residents to 311 for missed pickup or illegal-dumping complaints. Confirm dates, accepted materials, set-out rules, and whether the address is within city limits.
The City's Waste Services Division identifies roll-off dumpsters, landfill operations, recycling, bulk-trash collection, and illegal-dumping cleanup among its responsibilities. Residents can use city roll-off locations for extra waste that will not fit in a city cart, subject to current rules. This is disposal infrastructure, not a home cleanout crew; confirm accepted materials and transportation needs.
Birmingham's Critical Repair Program describes health and safety repairs such as roofing, plumbing, electrical, heating or air, and structural work for eligible homeowners, with program materials describing assistance up to $30,000. It is not a hoarding-cleanup grant. Confirm the current application window, income rules, ownership documents, project limits, and funding status.
Birmingham Water Works says representatives can discuss payment options and that the separate H20 Foundation may assist eligible Birmingham-area customers with water or sewer bills and plumbing repairs. Assistance is not automatic and is not cleanup funding. Call before a shutoff deadline and ask about current eligibility, documents, and the administering agency.
The Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama lists LIHEAP and other support opportunities for Jefferson County, including rental, mortgage, and fuel assistance for families in applicable programs. Confirm current service area, income rules, documents, funding, and whether the household's deadline qualifies.
The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama's current Find Food map helps locate food distributions and meal programs by address and radius. Check hours and eligibility before visiting; for urgent food or basic-needs navigation, the organization points people to 211 or its toll-free referral line.
Jefferson County Senior Services provides information, transportation, and connections for older adults, caregivers, families, and professionals. Ask about current age, caregiver, transportation, benefits, and independence supports. It is not hoarding-specific therapy or automatic cleanup funding.
Neighborhood Housing Services of Birmingham materials describe home-repair assistance for qualified homeowners and a focus on housing stability. It is an independent nonprofit lead, not an Alliance or Fight the Blight provider and not a hoarding-cleanup service. Confirm whether the current program is open, where it serves, what repairs are eligible, and what documents are required.
Just Organized describes certified professional organizing, paperwork, life transitions, ADHD support, maintenance, and virtual organizing in Birmingham. It is an independent commercial lead, not an Alliance or Fight the Blight provider and not therapy or emergency care. Ask about consent, pace, written scope, privacy, disposal, insurance, and cost.
Alabama Bio-Clean advertises hoarding cleanup and sanitation in Birmingham and describes trained technicians who remove hazards and clean or sanitize affected spaces. It is an independent commercial lead, not an Alliance or Fight the Blight provider and not a substitute for peer or clinical support. Ask about consent, privacy, disposal, insurance, biohazard scope, and a written estimate.
Alabama Junk advertises hoarding cleanouts and says it serves Birmingham, Homewood, Mountain Brook, Tuscaloosa, Vestavia Hills, and surrounding areas. It is an independent commercial lead, not an Alliance or Fight the Blight provider. Ask for a consent-centered written scope, itemized estimate, donation and disposal plan, privacy, insurance, and worker-safety details.
The Peer Tree offers nonclinical hoarding and clutter support, including organizing help, groups, family guidance, and practical next steps. Ask about current availability, service area, scope, pacing, privacy, and fees before beginning. The Peer Tree is a separate private-pay pathway from Fight the Blight's nonprofit programming.
Unburied, from The Peer Tree, is a judgment-free digital peer-support pathway for people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns and for friends and family. It can offer ongoing connection, tools, and momentum from Birmingham or anywhere else. It is not therapy, clinical care, or emergency support.
United Way of Central Alabama describes Ride United as free transportation for qualified people who need trips for benefits appointments, groceries, prescriptions, housing, and other essential items. Call 211 to ask about current eligibility, service area, booking, accessibility, and trip limits; this is not emergency transportation.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Birmingham, Alabama, 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