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 Crawford County.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Grayling, Crawford County, and other communities. We can help you think through what is happening and what kind of next step may fit.
Call 911 for a medical emergency, fire, violence, or immediate threat. For behavioral-health crisis support, call Northern Lakes Community Mental Health at 833-295-0616, or call or text 988. For housing or resource navigation, contact Crawford County Housing, Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency's HARA intake, or Michigan 211.
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.
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 Grayling or Crawford County.
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.
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 is in immediate danger, there is a fire or medical emergency, violence, or a life-safety threat. Tell the dispatcher the location, immediate hazard, and any access or mobility issue responders should know.
The Grayling Police Department provides law-enforcement services within the City of Grayling and enforces city ordinances. Use 911 for immediate danger; the department's administrative contact is for non-emergency public-safety questions within the city.
The Crawford County Sheriff's Office serves county residents and visitors from its office at 200 W. Michigan Avenue in Grayling. Use 911 for an active emergency and the office's non-emergency contact for appropriate public-safety routing.
The Crawford County Dispatch Center connects residents with police, fire, rescue, and EMS agencies across the county. It accepts routine non-emergency service requests at 989-348-6341, 24 hours a day; call 911 for any emergency.
Grayling Fire provides fire prevention education, inspections, investigation, and rescue services. Its smoke-detector project can install or replace detectors at no cost for eligible City of Grayling and Grayling Charter Township residents; call before relying on program availability.
Crawford County Emergency Management coordinates preparedness, risk mitigation, emergency communications, response, and recovery. The county identifies wildfire, severe weather, and hazardous-material incidents among local hazards and provides planning information.
Crawford County's Smart911 information explains how residents can create a household safety profile and opt in to available emergency notifications. Keep information current and call 911 for an active emergency rather than waiting for an alert.
Northern Lakes Community Mental Health serves Crawford County and provides behavioral-health crisis and access pathways. Call 833-295-0616 for a mental-health crisis or 800-492-5742 for access; severe or immediate physical danger requires 911.
Call or text 988 for crisis support and connection to a trained counselor. 988 is not a hoarding-specific service and does not replace 911, an emergency department, or local public-safety response when danger is immediate.
Munson Healthcare Grayling Hospital is at 1100 E. Michigan Avenue and has a 24-hour emergency department. Emergency rooms are for serious illness, injury, psychiatric emergency, or other urgent conditions; call 911 for severe, life-threatening symptoms.
The Crawford County office of District Health Department No. 10 is at 501 Norway Street, Suite 1, in Grayling. The department lists WIC, immunizations, dental and adolescent health, environmental health, wells and septic, permits, and inspections among its services.
Crawford County's Building and Safety Department provides permit forms and zoning-board information, including residential, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, demolition, and fire-related applications. Call before starting work or interpreting a property notice.
Grayling Charter Township provides local government information for the area surrounding the city, including building, fire, recycling and composting, household trash-compactor, and cemetery services. Confirm jurisdiction before relying on a township pathway.
Michigan Adult Protective Services receives reports involving vulnerable adults, including abuse, neglect, exploitation, and qualifying self-neglect. Call 855-444-3911 any time day or night; use 911 for immediate danger or a medical emergency.
The Crawford County Victim Rights Office explains crime-victim rights, court procedures, compensation, notice, and support resources. It is located at 200 W. Michigan Avenue in Grayling and can help with justice-system navigation after a qualifying crime.
Crawford County Animal Control handles animal-welfare, stray-animal, loose-livestock, licensing, and rabies-related matters. Contact the office for appropriate routing when animals are part of a property concern; do not enter an unsafe property or handle an aggressive animal.
Veterans, service members, and people concerned about them can call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or use the Veterans Crisis Line chat. Use 911 for immediate physical danger or a medical emergency.
Contact MISS DIG 811 before digging for a project, repair, drainage change, fence, or other excavation so participating utilities can mark underground lines. It does not evaluate indoor hoarding conditions or provide emergency response.
Michigan's environmental agency provides guidance for household hazardous waste and materials management. Check local rules before transporting chemicals, fuels, batteries, or other hazardous materials; do not mix unknown substances or place them in regular trash without confirmation.
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.
Michigan's Housing Assessment and Resource Agency list identifies Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency as the HARA for Crawford County. Contact the HARA intake team about housing instability, homelessness prevention, and available local referrals.
Grayling Housing Commission manages public-housing units and administers a Housing Choice Voucher program for qualified very-low-income households. The commission lists its central office at 308 Lawndale Street and asks applicants to confirm current waiting-list and application details.
MSHDA's housing-help resources are a statewide starting point for rental assistance, homelessness services, housing programs, and referrals. Local availability and eligibility change, so use the Crawford County HARA for housing-crisis navigation when appropriate.
Michigan Housing Locator helps people search for rental housing and affordable-housing opportunities. Verify availability, accessibility, application requirements, deposits, and income rules directly with each property before relying on a listing.
Michigan 211 connects callers and online users with local information about housing, food, utilities, health, transportation, and other basic needs. Ask about current availability and eligibility rather than assuming a referral has capacity.
MI Bridges is Michigan's online entry point for applying for and managing certain food, cash, health-care, and other assistance programs. Save confirmation information and contact the program directly if a situation is urgent or an application needs clarification.
Michigan State Emergency Relief may help eligible households with certain urgent needs such as shelter, utilities, or home-related emergencies. Apply through MI Bridges or the appropriate MDHHS pathway and confirm current program rules before relying on it.
Northern Lakes CMH describes services that may include case management, peer-delivered services, housing assistance, substance-use support, and other behavioral-health pathways for people who meet service criteria. Customer service can help with access questions, accommodations, and navigation.
The Crawford County Commission on Aging serves older adults across the county from its Grayling Senior Center. Listed services include meals, home-delivered meals, housekeeping, personal care, caregiver respite, a medical-equipment loan closet, SHIP counseling, and information and assistance.
Crawford County Transportation Authority provides shared-ride and Dial-A-Ride transportation intended to support independence and access to the community. The authority lists weekday operating hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; ask about reservations, accessibility, fares, and trip limits.
Devereaux Memorial Library is the main Crawford County Library System location at 201 Plum Street in Grayling. The library catalog and current library information can help with public computer access, research, programs, and referrals to community information.
The current Grayling community listing places the Crawford County Community Christian Help Center at 300 Huron Street and lists food-pantry hours Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call ahead to confirm current hours, documentation, and available supplies.
District Health Department No. 10's current food-pantry resource sheet lists Grayling Baptist Church at 705 Madsen Street with distribution Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Confirm current schedule, documentation, and availability before traveling.
NEMCSA publishes regional resource information that includes Crawford County food-pantry options and broader community-action pathways. Use it to compare current food and basic-needs options, then confirm details directly with the local provider.
Michigan's Food Assistance Program information explains how eligible households can apply for food assistance through MI Bridges and what kinds of food may qualify. If food is needed today, also call 211 or confirm pantry hours directly.
Michigan Legal Help offers plain-language information about eviction, landlord-tenant issues, housing hazards, protective orders, public benefits, and other civil legal topics. Use its Guide to Legal Help and local court information, and seek an attorney when the situation requires individualized advice.
Michigan's renter-rights information and Michigan Legal Help explain basic landlord-tenant responsibilities, eviction process, and housing-related rights. Do not ignore a notice or court date; confirm deadlines and seek legal guidance for the specific situation.
The Crawford County Clerk's Office at 200 W. Michigan Avenue handles vital records, elections, personal-protection-order information, and other county records. Call ahead about documents, identification, fees, and current procedures.
The Crawford County Register of Deeds maintains property records and offers a free property-fraud alert service. The office also explains recording requirements, tax certification, and document access at 200 W. Michigan Avenue in Grayling.
Crawford County Equalization maintains property-valuation and parcel information and processes new-address requests. Contact the office when a property concern involves parcel information, a homestead form, or a new address rather than assuming another department owns the issue.
The Crawford County Treasurer's Office provides tax-payment, delinquency, tax-certification, property-search, and foreclosure information. If a tax or foreclosure notice is involved, use the county information promptly and seek legal advice about individual rights and deadlines.
Crawford County Courts provide public information for district, circuit, probate, family, and Friend of the Court matters, including landlord-tenant and personal-protection-order contacts. Confirm the correct court and deadline directly; court staff cannot replace individualized legal advice.
Crawford County Veterans Services assists veterans, widows, and dependents with VA and state benefits, DD214 records, transportation to VA appointments, and possible trust-fund support. The office is at 501 Norway Street in the Crawford County Building.
The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency connects veterans and families with benefits, service officers, and emergency-assistance information. Call 800-MICH-VET for resource navigation and use the Veterans Crisis Line for a veteran or service-member crisis.
MSU Extension provides county-based education and community programming. Contact the Crawford County office for current availability and referrals related to family, agriculture, food, finances, youth, and community education.
Crawford County and Grayling Township publish local recycling, composting, household-trash, and materials-management information. Confirm accepted items, preparation rules, and hours before transporting a load, especially when chemicals, fuels, batteries, or appliances are involved.
Michigan DHHS assistance-program information is a starting point for food, cash, health coverage, and other support programs. Use MI Bridges and local 211 or HARA navigation to connect the general information to current local options.
The Crawford County DHHS office is a local administrative pathway for Michigan assistance programs. Confirm the current office address, hours, appointment requirements, and documents needed before traveling.
When the right local program is unclear, use 211 together with Crawford County's official departments and HARA. Ask for housing, food, utility, transportation, disability, aging, or behavioral-health options and verify the referral directly.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Grayling, Michigan, 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