A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide

Hoarding support in Erie, Pennsylvania.

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 Erie or Erie County.

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

Start here - Fight the Blight

You do not have to know the perfect next step.

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 Erie and Erie County can also use current city, county, statewide, nonprofit, peer-support, qualified-care, housing, shelter, food, legal, code, and practical pathways. No outside listing is an endorsement; each organization sets its own eligibility, cost, hours, service area, capacity, consent, privacy, and safety rules.

For immediate danger

For immediate danger, fire, serious injury, violence, or a life-threatening medical emergency, call 911. For behavioral-health crisis support in Erie County, call 814-456-2014 or 1-800-300-9558, or call or text 988. For housing, food, utilities, transportation, and other basic-needs navigation, use PA 211. Confirm the current local response before relying on it.

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.

County navigation for mental health, intellectual disabilities, substance use, housing, homelessness, and family services · Erie County; program and eligibility rules vary

Erie County Department of Human Services

The county Department of Human Services coordinates public pathways across mental health, intellectual disabilities, substance use, housing and homelessness, and family services. Start by explaining the safety, housing, health, or practical concern and ask which division or intake route fits. County services are not a guaranteed cleanup program.

Publicly funded behavioral-health intake and county system navigation · Erie County; insurance, Medical Assistance, diagnosis, and program rules may apply

Erie County Mental Health and Care Management

Erie County says publicly funded mental-health and related services can be accessed through Erie County Care Management. Ask about intake, available community providers, peer support, care coordination, payment, and whether a hoarding-related concern fits a behavioral-health service. This is qualified care, not emergency cleanup or a substitute for crisis care.

Single entry for emergency shelter, housing navigation, and homelessness prevention · Erie County; screening, assessment, capacity, and prioritization rules apply

Erie County Coordinated Entry

Erie County Care Management uses Coordinated Entry to screen people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and connect them with shelter, rent assistance, rapid rehousing, or permanent supportive-housing pathways. Clients can walk in during business hours or call 814-SHELTER; confirm current availability, documentation, accessibility, and next steps.

Free statewide referral navigation for housing, food, legal services, mental health, transportation, and basic needs · Pennsylvania, including Erie County; hours and provider capacity vary

PA 211

Pennsylvania 211 can help locate current local resources when the right program is not yet clear. Describe the household's location, urgency, and barriers, then confirm the referred provider's eligibility, hours, cost, and availability before relying on it.

Qualified-care and support directory · Erie search and telehealth options; providers self-report, payment and licensure rules apply

IOCDF Hoarding Resource Directory

The International OCD Foundation directory can be searched by Erie, ZIP code, or full address for clinicians, support groups, and programs that indicate an interest in OCD or hoarding-related care. IOCDF listings are not endorsements. Ask about current experience, licensure, fees, insurance, wait time, privacy, and whether home-based or telehealth work fits.

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 danger and emergency dispatch · Erie and Erie County; use for fire, medical emergency, violence, or immediate threat

911 Emergency Services

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, counseling service, or cleanup provider.

Mental-health and substance-use crisis support · Nationwide and Pennsylvania; free, confidential, 24/7 support

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

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.

24-hour mental-health crisis line with mobile and walk-in options · Erie County; crisis-response and clinical protocols apply

Erie County Crisis Services

Erie County says Crisis Services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that a mobile crisis team can assist an individual or family during a mental-health crisis. This is not a cleanup provider. Call 911 for immediate danger, fire, or a medical emergency.

24-hour reporting and support line for suspected abuse or neglect of older adults · Pennsylvania; protective-services rules apply

Pennsylvania Protective Services for Older Adults

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging accepts reports for an older adult in any living situation, including at home. Protective services may help connect safety, legal, shelter, meal, transportation, or other supports, but this is not a voluntary cleanup service. Call 911 for immediate danger.

24/7 disaster-related emotional support, planning, and referral · Erie County; intended for disaster impact and displacement, not routine cleanup

Erie County Disaster Crisis Outreach Referral Team

Erie County describes DCORT as a collaboration between Human Services, Safe Harbor Behavioral Health, and other providers that offers supportive listening, crisis counseling, action planning, and referrals after a disaster. Ask whether the current situation fits this response; use 911 or 988 for other emergencies.

Current city refuse, storage, abatement, and enforcement rules · Erie city limits; notice, correction, fee, and penalty rules apply

Erie Residential Refuse Ordinance

Erie's codified residential-refuse rules address approved receptacles, storage, loose or spilled refuse, accumulation, and city abatement. The ordinance provides notice and correction timelines and may allow costs to be charged to the owner or lessee. This is a regulatory pathway, not voluntary hoarding support or guaranteed funding.

Tenant, habitability, code-violation, retaliation, and housing-safety protections · Erie city limits; complaint and court procedures apply

Erie Rental Housing Ordinance

Erie's rental-housing ordinance includes basic health and safety standards, tenant rights, protections related to code violations, and anti-retaliation provisions. If a housing condition or notice is involved, document the issue and ask a qualified legal or housing navigator what procedure and deadline apply. This is not a cleanup service.

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.

Public housing, housing-choice vouchers, accessible housing, and resident services · Erie city; income, waitlist, documentation, and program rules apply

Housing Authority of the City of Erie

HACE provides affordable and public housing for lower-income families, older adults, and people with disabilities, with rental properties and housing-choice voucher pathways. Ask about current application status, accessible units, reasonable accommodations, waitlists, and whether a housing concern needs a separate code or legal response.

County public-housing authority and affordable-housing pathway · Erie County; service area, waitlist, income, and documentation rules apply

Erie County Housing Authority

The Erie County Housing Authority describes its mission to provide safe, decent, sanitary, and affordable housing and to support low- and moderate-income households, seniors, and people with special needs. Confirm which properties and programs serve the household's location and whether applications are open.

Emergency shelter, food, and basic-needs support for homeless single adults · Erie; intake, bed, capacity, and population rules apply

Community of Caring

Community of Caring describes an emergency homeless shelter near downtown Erie that is open year-round and serves single adults. Confirm current intake, availability, accessibility, belongings rules, and whether a coordinated-entry screening is required. Shelter is not a cleanup provider or guaranteed permanent housing.

Emergency shelter and housing-stability resource network · Erie; household, intake, bed, capacity, and service rules apply

Community Shelter Services

Community Shelter Services maintains referral information for shelter, meals, housing, legal issues, transportation, and other basic needs. Ask about current shelter access, coordinated entry, eligibility, and what personal belongings can be brought. Shelter services are not hoarding-specific cleanup or clinical care.

Free, confidential domestic-violence counseling, legal advocacy, education, and shelter · Erie County; specialized safety pathway, 24/7 hotline

SafeNet Erie

SafeNet serves people affected by domestic violence with confidential support, advocacy, and shelter options. This is a specialized safety resource rather than general hoarding support. Call the hotline if domestic violence is part of the concern and ask about current space, confidentiality, transportation, and eligibility.

Free civil legal assistance for qualifying residents · Erie County; income, case type, intake, and capacity rules apply

Northwestern Legal Services

Northwestern Legal Services is a civil-legal pathway for housing, eviction prevention, public benefits, disability, domestic violence, and related matters in Erie County. Ask about the current intake route, deadlines, and whether the issue falls within scope. Legal aid is not emergency response or cleanup.

Food bank, Marketplace, and pantry network · Erie and Northwest Pennsylvania; household income, appointment, agency, and supply rules apply

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania

Second Harvest connects people with food through its Erie Marketplace and partner pantries. The current food-bank information identifies an appointment process and income guideline; confirm the current threshold, documents, schedule, transportation, and nearby pantry availability before traveling.

Food pantry, housing assistance, childcare, and immediate-support pathway · Erie; program, household, appointment, and funding rules vary

St. Martin Center

St. Martin Center describes immediate assistance, food, housing support, childcare, education, and longer-term services. Ask which program fits the household, what documents are required, and whether current appointments or funds are available. These services are not a guaranteed hoarding cleanup benefit.

Supportive and permanent housing solutions for people and families in transition · Erie; program, population, referral, and capacity rules apply

Mercy Center for Women

Mercy Center for Women describes safe, supportive housing solutions, including permanent supportive housing, with a focus on people affected by domestic violence, addiction, and mental-health challenges. Ask about current eligibility, referral, accessibility, household composition, and availability.

Private shared and transitional housing · Erie; current site lists shared-room rates starting at $600 per month, with screening, house-rule, and availability requirements

Erie Housing

Erie Housing describes furnished shared homes with utilities and internet included and says it serves people with low income, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and people using SSI, SSDI, or certain vouchers. The site lists starting rates, but cost, room availability, house rules, and fit should be confirmed directly. This is housing, not hoarding-specific support.

Private-pay hoarding support, organizing help, groups, and family guidance · broader service area; scope, cost, scheduling, and travel rules apply

The Peer Tree

The Peer Tree is the private-pay pathway for organizing help, decluttering support, groups, family guidance, and practical next steps when a grant or public program is not the right fit. Ask about scope, cost, travel, consent, safety, and whether the requested support is available in Erie.

Digital peer-support pathway for people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns · online; not therapy or emergency support

Unburied

Unburied, from The Peer Tree, offers a judgment-free digital pathway with peer support, groups, and tools for people directly affected and for friends or family supporters. It is not therapy, a crisis service, or a substitute for emergency help.

A note from the Alliance

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

This guide is anchored in Erie, Pennsylvania, 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