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 Charlotte and Mecklenburg 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, including people who are directly affected and supporters who want to learn how to provide support. People in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County can also use current city, county, state, nonprofit, peer-support, qualified-care, housing, shelter, food, legal, utility, transit, code, disposal, and practical pathways. 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 North Carolina's crisis system; for non-crisis peer listening, call the NC Peer Warmline at 1-855-733-7762. For housing, shelter, food, utility, and benefits navigation, call 211 or 1-888-892-1162 and confirm current eligibility, capacity, and local intake rules. Emergency routes are not hoarding-support or cleanup services.
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.
NC 211 is a free information and referral service for housing, food, utilities, health, mental-health, transportation, and community resources. The City of Charlotte directs people at risk of homelessness to NC 211. Ask about Mecklenburg County programs, waitlists, documentation, language access, and whether a local navigator can help coordinate a next step; a referral does not guarantee placement.
Mecklenburg County lists community social work, in-home aide services, respite, adult day care, transportation, nutrition, senior centers, Adult Protective Services, and Just1Call as entry points for adults, older adults, and disabled residents. Ask about eligibility, assessment, waitlists, and whether home-management support fits the person's needs.
MeckHope connects Mecklenburg County residents to urgent and preventive mental-health and substance-use resources. Alliance Health's Access and Information Center is listed as available 24/7 for crisis, state-funded, Medicaid Direct, and Tailored Plan pathways. Ask which local service, plan, or level of care fits; this is not a hoarding-specific cleanup program.
The current IOCDF provider profile for Andrea Umbach identifies a Charlotte practice and says she specializes in OCD, anxiety disorders, and hoarding using cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention. The profile lists care for adults, teens, and children age 12 and up. Confirm current availability, fees, insurance, age fit, and treatment scope directly.
Dr. Simone Leavell-Bruce's current Charlotte practice profile describes licensed clinical psychology, OCD treatment, and work related to hoarding disorder through research and education. Ask specifically whether the practice is accepting hoarding-related clients, what services are offered, whether telehealth is available for the person's location, and what fees or insurance apply.
The International OCD Foundation directory can be searched by Charlotte or ZIP code for current clinicians, treatment groups, and other hoarding-related resources. Directory listings are leads rather than endorsements or guarantees of competence, availability, cost, insurance, or fit. Ask about consent, pacing, privacy, and safety before beginning care.
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 fire, medical emergency, violence, immediate threat, or a dangerous condition that cannot wait for a scheduled service. Emergency dispatch is not a hoarding-support program, counseling service, or cleanup provider.
North Carolina DHHS directs people to call, text, or chat with 988 for crisis support and lists community crisis centers, mobile crisis teams, and walk-in clinics. It also lists the NC Peer Warmline for non-emergency peer support. Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency, fire, or immediate threat. Neither 988 nor the warmline is a cleanup service.
Mecklenburg County's current mental-health resource page lists the Smith Family Behavioral Health Urgent Care for crisis assessment, intervention, and short-term observation, and a Mobile Crisis Team available 24/7/365. The county also lists Alliance Health and other crisis contacts. Confirm the current site, age and program fit, transportation, and whether medical emergency care is needed.
Charlotte Code Enforcement explains how tenants can report minimum housing code concerns and request an inspection through 311. The city addresses health and safety conditions such as structural, electrical, plumbing, heating, smoke-detector, trash, and junk-pile concerns within city limits. This is a housing-safety pathway, not a general cleanup service; immediate danger belongs with 911.
CharMeck 311 is the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County customer contact center for information and service requests. It can help route questions about solid waste, code enforcement, housing, transportation, and other local services. It is not an emergency line, and a service request does not guarantee an outcome or a particular response time.
Mecklenburg County DSS lists Adult Protective Services for disabled adults age 18 and older who are alleged to be abused, neglected, or exploited and in need of protection. The county's adult-services page also lists community social work for people outside protective-services criteria. APS is a safety pathway, not a general cleanup referral, and immediate danger belongs with 911.
North Carolina DHHS explains that county departments of social services receive and evaluate reports involving disabled adults who may need protection from abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Use the local county DSS pathway and ask what voluntary supports may be available; APS does not guarantee housing or cleanup.
Mecklenburg County's Coordinated Entry system is the first step for people experiencing homelessness or who may become homeless soon. The current page says its hotline can identify available shelter, outreach, diversion, and prevention programs but does not provide immediate shelter, a guaranteed voucher, financial assistance, transportation, or moving services. Leave a message and expect a callback within two business days.
The City of Charlotte lists NC 211, Coordinated Entry, Crisis Assistance Ministry for rent or utility help, rental-housing navigation, emergency home-repair contacts, fair-housing support, mediation, and legal-aid routes. Community partners deliver these services, and eligibility and capacity vary. Confirm whether a program serves the person's location, housing status, and immediate need.
Crisis Assistance Ministry describes short-term emergency rent and utility assistance for income-qualified Mecklenburg County residents. The current page says applications are accepted in person at 500-A Spratt Street Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with urgent disconnection and eviction situations prioritized. Bring the requested documents and confirm current closures, eligibility, and available funding; this is not emergency shelter or cleanup.
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.
Charlotte Solid Waste Services says household furnishings, appliances, mattresses, box springs, lawn equipment, and similar eligible bulky items must be scheduled through 311, the CLT+ app, or the online request process. Residents must receive City garbage collection, and items placed at the curb without scheduling will not be collected. Confirm the current eligibility list, preparation rules, and pickup date before moving anything outside.
Mecklenburg County lists adult services including community social work, in-home aide services, respite, adult day care, transportation, senior centers, nutrition, and Just1Call, its single portal for information, referral, and initiation of services. Ask about eligibility, waitlists, assessment, and whether home-management support fits the person's needs.
Mecklenburg County's Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults describes Medicaid home and community-based support for eligible adults age 18 and older who meet a nursing-home level of care. Services may include case management, in-home aides, respite, meals, and emergency-response supports. This is not a hoarding-specific program; ask about eligibility and how home-safety concerns fit the assessment.
INLIVIAN, formerly the Charlotte Housing Authority, publishes public-housing and affordable-housing pathways. Its current Housing Choice Voucher page says the tenant-based Section 8 waitlist is closed to new applicants and has more than 6,000 households, while current property waitlists may open separately. Check current notices and the applicant portal; housing authority programs are not emergency shelter or guaranteed immediate placement.
Roof Above's current help page directs people needing emergency shelter or basic services to Mecklenburg County Coordinated Entry and lists current assessment sites, a Day Services Center, meals, showers, laundry, restrooms, device charging, mail, limited transportation assistance, and connections to resources. Service availability varies with staffing and demand; confirm current hours and eligibility before traveling.
Promise Resource Network describes a confidential NC Peer Warmline, Charlotte Recovery Hub and Café hours, and a voluntary peer-run respite. The warmline is for connection and emotional support rather than crisis assessment or intervention; respite and hub access have their own current hours and capacity. Confirm the current schedule and fit before relying on a visit.
Crisis Assistance Ministry helps low-income Mecklenburg County households with short-term emergency rent and utility assistance, a free store for clothing and household essentials, and financial coaching. Its current pages state that the free store and financial-assistance schedules can vary, and that assistance is not a guarantee of ongoing housing or a cleanup service.
Charlotte Community Health Clinic publishes community-resource navigation for food, utilities, legal help, domestic-violence support, and insurance questions alongside its health services. Use the clinic's current intake and referral information to ask what is available for the person's medical, behavioral-health, and social needs; this is not a hoarding-specific or emergency-cleanup service.
The Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy provides civil legal and health-insurance navigation resources, including help with coverage questions and other legal issues. The City of Charlotte also directs residents to Legal Aid of North Carolina for legal services. Confirm current intake, issue fit, income rules, language access, and whether the organization can take the matter.
Nourish Up, formerly associated with Loaves & Fishes and Friendship Trays, is a local food-access pathway. Use the current organization site or NC 211 to find the nearest pantry or delivery option, and confirm documentation, hours, transportation, and service-area rules before traveling.
This independent provider advertises hoarding removal and remediation throughout North Carolina and describes no-cost, no-obligation site visits for estimates. 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.
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 people who want to learn how to provide support, including friends and family, property management companies, municipal workers, and other nonprofits. It can offer ongoing connection, tools, and momentum from Charlotte or anywhere else. It is not therapy, clinical care, or emergency support.
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 NC 211 and local housing providers, and confirm current hours, eligibility, transportation, accessibility, and capacity before relying on a result.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Charlotte, North Carolina, 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