A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide

Hoarding support in Franklin, Virginia.

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 Franklin and the surrounding Western Tidewater region.

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.

Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Franklin, Southampton County, Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, and other communities. We can help you think through what is happening and what kind of next step may fit.

For immediate danger

Call 911 for immediate danger, fire, rescue, or a medical emergency. For behavioral-health or substance-use crisis support, call 988 or Western Tidewater Community Services Board. For general resource navigation, call 211.

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.

Private-pay hoarding support, organizing help, groups, and family guidance - broader service area, including possible support for Franklin; private-pay scope, cost, scheduling, travel, consent, safety, and capacity must be confirmed directly; not emergency or clinical care

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 support is available in Franklin or the surrounding region.

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.

Free 24/7 call, text, and chat crisis pathway - Virginia and nationwide; crisis response, privacy, and handoff rules apply; not cleanup or emergency dispatch

Virginia 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988 for confidential behavioral-health crisis support and connection to Virginia's crisis system. Use 911 for immediate danger, fire, rescue, or a medical emergency.

Public behavioral-health, substance-use, developmental-disability, crisis, prevention, residential, and case-management pathway - Franklin, Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, and Southampton County; assessment, eligibility, scheduling, and clinical rules apply

Western Tidewater Community Services Board

Western Tidewater Community Services Board is the local authority for mental-health, developmental-disability, substance-use, prevention, and crisis services in Franklin and the surrounding Western Tidewater localities. Ask about same-day access, crisis response, and current entry points.

Public-health, clinic, prevention, environmental-health, immunization, WIC, and medication-assistance pathway - Franklin, Southampton County, Suffolk, and Isle of Wight County; appointment, eligibility, fee, and document rules apply

Western Tidewater Health District

The Western Tidewater Health District serves Franklin and nearby localities. Call the Franklin City Health Department about public-health services, immunizations, WIC, environmental health, prevention, and current appointment or walk-in rules.

Public-assistance, benefits, social-work, adult-services, child-protective-services, and family-service intake - City of Franklin; eligibility, assessment, documentation, and jurisdiction rules apply

Franklin Department of Social Services

Franklin Department of Social Services administers public-assistance and family-service programs including SNAP, Medicaid/FAMIS, TANF, energy assistance, emergency assistance, foster care, adoption, and protective services.

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 - Franklin and surrounding response area; use for fire, rescue, medical emergency, violence, or an active threat; not a hoarding-support program

911 Emergency Services

Call 911 when there is immediate danger, fire, a medical emergency, violence, a rescue need, or a threat that cannot wait for a scheduled service.

24/7 free and confidential behavioral-health crisis support - Virginia; call or text 988; use 911 for immediate danger; not a cleanup service

Virginia 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988 for confidential behavioral-health crisis support and connection to Virginia's crisis network. It is not emergency dispatch, licensed therapy by itself, or a cleanup provider.

24/7 behavioral-health, substance-use, and developmental-disability crisis pathway - Franklin and Western Tidewater; assessment, mobile-response, stabilization, and clinical rules apply; not cleanup or emergency dispatch

Western Tidewater CSB 24/7 Crisis Services

Western Tidewater Community Services Board lists a 24-hour emergency line for crisis support in Franklin, Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, and Southampton County. Call 911 for immediate danger.

City 911 call-taking and police, fire, and EMS dispatch pathway - City of Franklin; 911 is for emergencies only; non-emergency and outage routing rules apply

Franklin Emergency Communications

Franklin's Emergency Communications Division answers 911 calls and dispatches police, fire, and EMS. Use 911 only when someone is hurt, in danger, or needs immediate police, fire, or medical assistance.

Fire, rescue, EMS, technical-rescue, and emergency-response pathway - City of Franklin and supporting Southampton County agencies; response, inspection, and service-area rules apply

Franklin Fire and Rescue

Franklin Fire and Rescue provides fire, rescue, EMS, and incident-stabilization response from city stations and supports nearby Southampton County rescue agencies. Call 911 for an emergency.

City police and non-emergency public-safety pathway - City of Franklin; emergency dispatch, reporting, and jurisdiction rules apply

Franklin Police and Public Safety

Franklin's public-safety page provides the city police, fire, rescue, and emergency-communications entry points. Call 911 when someone is in immediate danger.

24-hour hospital emergency, inpatient, outpatient, and medical-care pathway - Franklin; emergency evaluation, transfer, payment, and clinical rules apply; use 911 for immediate danger

Bon Secours Southampton Medical Center Emergency Care

Bon Secours Southampton Medical Center provides emergency, inpatient, outpatient, surgical, and long-term care in Franklin. Go to an emergency department or call 911 for immediate medical danger; this is not a cleanup or hoarding-support program.

Public-health information and service pathway - Franklin; public-health triage, appointment, fee, and program limits apply; not emergency medical dispatch

Franklin City Health Department

Call the Franklin City Health Department for public-health services, immunizations, WIC, environmental health, prevention, and current access information. Use 911 for a medical emergency or immediate danger.

Adult and child protective-services pathway - City of Franklin; assessment, confidentiality, jurisdiction, and emergency rules apply

Franklin Adult and Child Protective Services

Contact Franklin Department of Social Services about adult or child abuse, neglect, exploitation, or urgent social-service concerns. Call 911 for immediate danger.

Free confidential domestic-violence, sexual-assault, stalking, human-trafficking, advocacy, and emergency-shelter pathway - Franklin, Suffolk, Southampton, Isle of Wight, Smithfield, and Surry; survivor intake, confidentiality, and capacity rules apply

The Genieve Shelter

The Genieve Shelter provides free confidential support and emergency shelter for people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking in Franklin and the surrounding service area. Use a safe communication method if someone may monitor calls or messages.

Housing-crisis, family shelter, outreach, rapid-rehousing, and housing-stability navigation pathway - Southeastern Virginia including Franklin; household, coordinated-assessment, capacity, and eligibility rules apply

ForKids Housing Crisis Hotline

ForKids uses a housing-crisis hotline to connect families in Southeastern Virginia with shelter, outreach, housing stability, and related support. It is not a general emergency dispatch service and cannot guarantee immediate placement.

Free confidential resource-navigation pathway - Virginia; local availability, eligibility, language access, and referral limits apply; not emergency dispatch

211 Virginia

Call 211 or search Virginia's resource directory for food, housing, utilities, health care, employment, veteran, child-care, and crisis-navigation options. Call 911 for an emergency.

Free civil legal-aid pathway for housing, benefits, safety, utilities, health, and other poverty-law matters - eligible Franklin, Southampton, Suffolk, Isle of Wight, Greensville, and Sussex clients; income, conflict, intake, and case-acceptance rules apply

Virginia Legal Aid Society - Suffolk Office

Virginia Legal Aid Society's Suffolk office serves the City of Franklin and nearby Western Tidewater localities. Confirm current intake and eligibility; it is not emergency dispatch.

State emergency preparedness and disaster-information pathway - Virginia; incident-specific guidance and local-response rules apply

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

Virginia Department of Emergency Management provides preparedness and disaster information. During an active local emergency follow 911, city, and public-safety instructions first.

City refuse, yard-waste, bulk-material, water, sewer, street, drainage, and snow-removal pathway - Franklin and connected service areas; collection, material, account, and response limits apply; not emergency dispatch

Franklin Public Works and Utilities

Franklin Public Works manages city streets, refuse, yard waste, water, sewer, snow removal, and related infrastructure. Verify current collection, set-out, material, and utility procedures before a cleanup or disposal project.

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.

Online benefits application and screening pathway - Virginia; program, income, household, identity, and documentation rules apply

Virginia CommonHelp

CommonHelp is Virginia's official application and screening pathway for food, health, cash, energy, and child-care assistance. Availability and eligibility depend on the program and household circumstances.

Food, medical, financial, energy, family, adult-services, and protective-services pathway - City of Franklin residents; eligibility and documentation rules apply

Franklin Department of Social Services Benefits

Start with Franklin DSS for local benefit screening and social-service intake. Programs include SNAP, Medicaid/FAMIS, TANF, energy assistance, emergency assistance, foster care, adult services, and protective services.

Public clinic, WIC, immunization, family-health, environmental-health, medication-assistance, and prevention pathway - Franklin and Western Tidewater; appointment, eligibility, fee, and document rules apply

Western Tidewater Health District Programs

The Western Tidewater Health District connects residents to public-health and prevention programs. Call the Franklin City Health Department about current WIC, immunization, clinic, environmental-health, diabetes, and medication-assistance services.

Behavioral-health, substance-use, developmental-disability, prevention, crisis, residential, same-day-access, and case-management pathway - Franklin and Western Tidewater; assessment, eligibility, scheduling, and clinical rules apply

Western Tidewater CSB Programs

Western Tidewater CSB provides mental-health, substance-use, developmental-disability, crisis, prevention, residential, and related services. Ask about same-day access, telehealth, crisis response, and current payment or eligibility rules.

Hospital, emergency, inpatient, outpatient, surgery, long-term care, home-health, hospice, and specialty-care pathway - Franklin and Western Tidewater; referral, clinical, insurance, payment, and emergency rules apply

Southampton Medical Center

Southampton Medical Center provides hospital and specialty care in Franklin, including emergency, inpatient, outpatient, surgical, long-term, home-health, and hospice pathways. Use its current service information to identify the right entry point.

Free public-library, computer, information, job-resource, technology, and community-learning pathway - Franklin and Blackwater region; card, program, room, and technology rules apply

Blackwater Regional Library - Franklin Branch

The Ruth Camp Campbell Memorial Library in Franklin provides public information, computers, books, digital resources, and community programs. Ask staff about cards, technology access, large-print materials, and local referral information.

School enrollment, counseling, student-support, special-education, health, transportation, meals, homeless-student, foster-care, and family-referral pathway - Franklin students and families; school, enrollment, and program rules apply

Franklin City Public Schools Student Services

Franklin City Public Schools Student Services works with schools, families, and community agencies to address barriers, counseling, health, homelessness, foster care, attendance, and referrals. Contact the district or school for current support.

Free senior transportation and regional ride-booking pathway - age 60+ in Franklin, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Isle of Wight County, and Southampton County; destination, reservation, mobility, and schedule rules apply

I-RIDE Transit

Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia provides free I-RIDE transportation for eligible older adults in Franklin and Western Tidewater. Call or use the current booking process to ask about medical, shopping, and other rides.

Meals, transportation, wellness, caregiver, Medicare counseling, in-home, ombudsman, and aging-support pathway - Franklin and Western Tidewater; age, disability, income, referral, and program rules apply

Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia

Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia supports older adults and caregivers through meals, transportation, in-home services, wellness, Medicare counseling, and resource navigation. Ask about current Franklin-area options and eligibility.

Public housing, Housing Choice Voucher, affordable-rental, housing-rehabilitation, and housing-stability pathway - City of Franklin; income limits, waiting lists, unit availability, lease, and application rules apply

Franklin Redevelopment and Housing Authority

Franklin Redevelopment and Housing Authority provides public-housing and voucher pathways and works on housing conditions in the city. Verify current waitlists, rents, accessibility, documentation, and application requirements directly.

State housing-finance, homebuyer, rental, repair, and housing-resource pathway - Virginia; program, income, lender, property, and application rules apply

Virginia Housing

Virginia Housing offers statewide housing programs and information. Use it as a navigation resource and verify current eligibility, participating providers, and application requirements.

Rural housing, repair, community-facility, and development pathway - eligible Virginia rural areas; property, income, program, and application rules apply

USDA Rural Development Virginia

USDA Rural Development lists housing and community-development programs for eligible rural areas. Check location and program eligibility directly; not every Franklin-area property will qualify.

Free clothing, hygiene, diaper, household-essential, prescription, rent, and utility bridge-assistance pathway - Franklin service area; appointment, hardship, documentation, and limited-capacity rules apply; no homeless shelter

Franklin Cooperative Ministry

Franklin Cooperative Ministry offers a clothing closet, hygiene and diaper support, and limited bridge-the-gap assistance for verified temporary hardship with prescriptions, rent, and utilities. Assistance is not ongoing or guaranteed, and the ministry does not operate a shelter.

Regional food-bank, pantry, mobile-food, and food-access pathway - Western Tidewater and Southeastern Virginia; registration, schedule, household, supply, and partner-site rules apply

Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore

The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore connects residents with food-access programs and partner distributions. Check the current help and partner-site information before traveling.

Free confidential survivor advocacy, shelter, case-management, court accompaniment, and children’s-support pathway - Franklin and Western Tidewater; safety, confidentiality, intake, and capacity rules apply

The Genieve Shelter

The Genieve Shelter offers free confidential support and emergency shelter for people affected by violence in Franklin and surrounding localities. Use a safer device or communication method when needed.

Family housing-crisis, emergency-shelter, outreach, rapid-rehousing, eviction-prevention, and case-management pathway - Southeastern Virginia including Franklin; family, coordinated-assessment, capacity, and eligibility rules apply

ForKids Housing Stability

ForKids connects families facing housing crises with shelter, outreach, housing-stability, and related services through its regional hotline and coordinated assessment. It cannot guarantee immediate shelter or placement.

Civil legal-aid pathway for housing, public benefits, safety, utilities, health, and family matters - eligible low-income Franklin and Western Tidewater clients; income, conflict, intake, and case-acceptance rules apply

Virginia Legal Aid Society - Suffolk

Virginia Legal Aid Society's Suffolk office serves Franklin, Suffolk, Emporia, Isle of Wight County, Southampton County, Greensville County, and Sussex County. Contact intake to confirm the issue and household qualify.

Statewide civil-legal-information and legal-aid navigation pathway - Virginia; topic, income, location, and provider rules apply

Virginia Law Help

Virginia Law Help can help residents identify legal-aid and low-cost civil legal pathways for housing, benefits, family, health, and consumer issues.

Housing-code, building-code, land-use, property-maintenance, and neighborhood-stability pathway - City of Franklin; inspection, enforcement, notice, owner, tenant, and appeal rules apply

Franklin City Community Development

Franklin Community Development administers building and land-use regulations and works to protect public health, safety, and housing conditions. Contact the department for current code and property-maintenance questions.

City trash, yard-waste, water, sewer, street, drainage, and sanitation pathway - Franklin residents and connected service areas; set-out, material, fee, account, and service-area rules apply

Franklin Public Works Refuse and Utility Services

Franklin Public Works handles household waste, yard waste, white goods, water, sewer, streets, drainage, snow removal, and related infrastructure. Verify current procedures before a disposal or cleanup project.

City parks, recreation centers, computer access, community programs, athletics, wellness, and outdoor-space pathway - City of Franklin; schedule, registration, age, fee, and facility rules apply

Franklin Parks and Recreation

Franklin Parks and Recreation manages parks, recreation spaces, the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, community programs, and seasonal activities. Current schedules and registration requirements change throughout the year.

General district and juvenile/domestic-relations court information pathway - City of Franklin; filing, scheduling, legal, protective-order, and safety rules apply

Franklin City Combined Courts

The Virginia Courts site provides current clerk, address, phone, schedule, and informational materials for Franklin City's combined courts. Legal questions may require an attorney or legal-aid intake.

State identification, license, testing, and vehicle-service pathway - Virginia; appointment, document, wait-time, and location-service rules apply

Virginia DMV Customer Service Centers

Use Virginia DMV's current location search for the nearest customer-service center and available services. Check the current location and requirements before traveling.

Official city department, public safety, social services, public works, parks, utilities, permits, and community-navigation pathway - City of Franklin; service, jurisdiction, and application rules apply

Franklin City Government Directory

Use the City of Franklin website and department directory to identify current contacts for city services, public safety, social services, public works, courts, parks, utilities, and community development.

Private-pay practical support and digital peer-support pathways - broader service area and online; cost, scope, consent, safety, and platform rules apply; not clinical or emergency care

The Peer Tree and Unburied

The Peer Tree and Unburied provide separate private-pay and digital peer-support pathways. Choose the option that fits the situation and confirm current scope, cost, access, and safety boundaries before relying on it.

A note from the Alliance

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

This guide is anchored in Franklin, Virginia, 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