A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide
Support can begin with one concern, one room, or one question. You do not have to solve everything before asking for help.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Contact Fight the Blight about its nonprofit hoarding-support and virtual-group front door, or use a local navigator for practical needs. You can ask about one step at a time.
Start with a respectful conversation about hoarding support and virtual peer groups. Ask what is currently available and whether a local referral may fit; a particular group, provider, or service is not guaranteed.
Role: nonprofit hoarding-support front door and virtual peer-group pathway | geography: virtual; ask about Putnam County | cost/eligibility: confirm current group access, eligibility, and any cost | emergency limit: not emergency or clinical care
This guide is for planning and connection, not emergency response, clinical assessment, legal advice, housing placement, or a promise of service. Call 911 for immediate danger, fire, serious injury, or urgent medical help. Call or text 988 for suicide or mental-health crisis support. For domestic-violence safety planning, use a safe device and contact Genesis House or the Family Justice Center; do not rely on this public page if someone may be monitoring your device.
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.
Search for food, housing, transportation, health care, behavioral-health and family supports. Tennessee says the tool is open to anyone; verify program details with the listed provider.
The Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency offers service navigation and programs that may include utility, housing, weatherization, homemaker and family supports. Ask a navigator what currently fits your situation.
The provider lists a Cookeville location and describes therapy, care management, and psychiatric medication management among its services. Call to confirm current services, eligibility and access.
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 faces immediate danger or needs urgent medical help. A resource guide, peer group, housing program, or cleanup service cannot replace responders.
Call or text 988 for confidential crisis support. It is not a hoarding-specific service and does not replace 911 for immediate danger.
Use 2-1-1 to look for local food, housing, utility, health and other community programs. Confirm current hours, eligibility and capacity with the organization you contact.
Genesis House states its phone line is available 24/7 and its services include survivor support and shelter. Use a safe device if monitoring is a concern; call to confirm current options and capacity.
The center lists a Cookeville office for Putnam County residents and says walk-ins are welcome during weekday hours. Its page directs domestic-violence crisis calls to Genesis House.
Contact a trained advocate for safety planning and support. Consider whether a device or browser is monitored before opening or saving information.
Tennessee APS provides a reporting and response pathway for concerns involving adults who may be abused, neglected, or exploited. A report is not a substitute for emergency response.
THDA lists shelter and homelessness programs by county. The directory is a starting point only; verify current intake, eligibility, safe contact, transportation and open space with each program.
For non-emergency county law-enforcement questions, use the county’s official contact directory. Call 911 if a person is in immediate danger.
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 Peer Tree offers private-pay support for situations not covered by grants, including peer-led sorting and organizing assistance. Ask about travel, fees, consent, scope, and what can be offered before making plans.
Unburied is a judgment-free digital peer-support pathway for people affected by hoarding and for friends or family. It is not therapy or emergency support.
Tennessee lists a Cookeville health department and describes county health departments as offering public-health services; the listing marks some sites for primary-care or dental services. Call to confirm this office’s current offerings.
Highlands Residential Services lists public-housing units across the region. Its homepage reported applications were not being accepted when reviewed; check for a current opening before preparing an application.
The housing authority describes several property programs, including some age-qualified units. Contact the authority to confirm eligibility, waitlists, accessibility and current vacancies.
UCHRA describes LIHEAP, weatherization and other community programs. Programs can have limited funding or narrow eligibility; call the Putnam office to verify current applications and deadlines.
UCHRA lists hourly deviated-fixed routes serving Cookeville, Algood, McMinnville, Crossville and Tennessee Tech. Check current maps, stop locations, accessibility and service alerts before traveling.
UCHRA provides regional ride services as well as local routes. Call to confirm the address, reservation lead time, pickup window, fare, accessibility accommodations and availability.
The regional ADRC serves older adults, adults with disabilities, caregivers and people assisting them. It can help identify local options, but a referral does not guarantee an opening.
The Area Agency on Aging and Disability describes transportation coordination for older adults and people with mobility needs. Ask the agency or senior center about current voucher eligibility and trip arrangements.
The Cookeville center describes case management and connections for individuals and families facing hardship. Its page lists served ZIP codes and asks people to call for pantry details; confirm before traveling.
The nonprofit lists food, utility and rent assistance, gas vouchers for out-of-town medical visits, and help with some prescriptions. It says visits are by appointment; call first and confirm current funds and eligibility.
This faith-based nonprofit describes free food, clothing and one-on-one resource navigation during posted walk-in hours. It says utility assistance is limited and households have an annual visit allowance; confirm current hours and rules.
The county lists accepted and excluded materials and distinguishes convenience centers, landfill and hazardous-waste handling. Confirm site rules and material acceptance before loading or transporting items.
The city describes household cart collection and a separate process for certain bulky items. Verify that the address is within service limits and ask about current material, timing and quantity restrictions before setting items out.
The mission describes temporary shelter and meals, with longer-term programs also available. It is faith-based; contact the mission to confirm current intake, capacity, accessibility, household arrangements and expectations.
The nonprofit provides civil legal-aid intake for eligible clients. Ask whether the issue and county qualify and whether an appointment or referral is available; this guide is not legal advice.
The state directory includes peer-support centers and lists a Cookeville location. Verify the current agency, address, schedule, eligibility and services directly before traveling.
The regional agency coordinates information and support for older adults, adults with disabilities and caregivers. Ask what services are currently available and whether an assessment or referral is required.
Find the current Putnam County health office and confirm which prevention, primary-care, dental or other services are offered at that location.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Cookeville, Tennessee, 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