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.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Hartford 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, or immediate threat. For behavioral-health crisis support, call or text 988 or call 211 for Connecticut mobile-crisis and service navigation.
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.
United Way of Connecticut’s 211 system connects people with local services for housing, food, utility help, elder care, behavioral health, crisis intervention, and more. Search by Hartford address or call to ask for the most relevant pathway. Availability, eligibility, and language access vary by program.
The Institute of Living’s Anxiety Disorders Center lists group cognitive behavioral therapy for Hoarding Disorder along with assessment and treatment for children, adolescents, and adults. The center is an independent clinical provider, not an Alliance endorsement or emergency service. Ask about current intake, age range, insurance, fees, wait time, and fit.
Community Renewal Team is the designated community action agency for Hartford and Middlesex Counties. Its programs include basic-needs navigation, energy assistance, housing counseling, shelters, behavioral-health services, senior services, and weatherization. CRT can help identify a stabilizing next step, but no specific service or funding is guaranteed.
Connecticut DSS administers or connects residents to SNAP, HUSKY Health, cash assistance, energy help, long-term services and supports, and social-work programs. Benefits do not automatically pay for hoarding cleanup, but they may help stabilize food, health, utility, and care needs around a home situation. Confirm current eligibility and application requirements.
The Center for Healthy Aging offers resource coordination for older adults and families, including in-home assistance, transportation, home-safety technology, Medicare counseling, dementia support, veteran benefits, and care-funding information. It is a navigation service rather than a hoarding-specific or cleanup program; ask what local option fits the person’s needs.
Safety and stability
These pathways serve different situations. Read the labels carefully before calling, especially when a response may involve protective services, housing screening, code enforcement, or emergency dispatch.
Connecticut DMHAS directs people in emotional distress or a mental-health or substance-use crisis to call, text, or chat 988. Connecticut’s 211 Contact Center also connects people to mobile crisis and other services. This is not hoarding-specific treatment or cleanup support; call 911 for immediate medical danger, fire, or a life-threatening emergency.
Connecticut DMHAS says people who are homeless or at imminent risk should call 211 and select option 3, then option 1, to begin the Coordinated Access Network process. The Greater Hartford CAN can assess housing needs and connect people with community providers. Calling does not guarantee shelter, rental assistance, or housing placement.
Connecticut DSS Protective Services for the Elderly investigates reports involving abuse, neglect, self-neglect, abandonment, and exploitation. The program’s stated goals include preserving self-determination, helping a person remain where they prefer when possible, and coordinating services. This is not a routine cleanup intake; call to understand whether the concern fits and what choices remain with the older adult.
Hartford 311 describes a housing-code pathway for concerns such as unsanitary conditions, trash accumulation, pests, mold, missing heat or hot water, and other health and safety issues. The city says an occupant must submit the request before an inspector can enter a unit. This is an enforcement pathway, not a consent-based support or cleanup service.
Hartford 311 is the city’s non-emergency service gateway for apartment concerns, exterior garbage or debris, illegal dumping, blighted-property reports, and other city requests. A report may begin an enforcement or service process and can have consequences for a property; when safety allows, consider a person-centered conversation and ask the city about process, accommodations, and deadlines.
The Housing Authority of the City of Hartford provides public-housing and Housing Choice Voucher pathways. Its current application portal says it is accepting housing applications, but openings, eligibility, reasonable accommodations, and wait times can change. Confirm the current application status directly; this is not an emergency shelter or cleanup program.
Connecticut’s Department of Housing describes a security-deposit guarantee for program-eligible people who are documented as chronically homeless or leaving shelters, with referrals through a Coordinated Access Network. It may help with a housing transition when other eligibility conditions fit; it does not pay for hoarding cleanup or guarantee a new apartment.
Connecticut’s SOAR initiative helps eligible adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have a mental illness or co-occurring substance-use disorder apply for disability benefits. The state identifies Community Health Resources as a Greater Hartford CAN partner. Ask 211 or the CAN about the right referral route; benefits and housing are not guaranteed.
People and practical help
These listings offer local connections for care, education, housing, organizing, or disposal. They are independent organizations; ask about current availability, cost, scope, consent, and safety before relying on them.
Hartford’s current waste guidance says eligible 1-6 unit non-commercial properties can schedule bulky-waste pickup through 311 or Public Works. The city lists two free pickups per unit per year with up to five items per pickup, plus paid options for additional collections or transfer-station access. Confirm eligibility, accepted items, fees, and pickup timing before moving anything outside.
Connecticut’s Energy Assistance Program helps eligible residents with home-heating costs and directs Hartford-area applicants to Community Renewal Team. Utility assistance can be part of stabilizing a home, but it is not hoarding-specific funding or a cleanup benefit. Confirm the current application season, income rules, documents, and whether the utility account qualifies.
The Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders helps eligible older adults remain at home through an assessment and a plan of care that can include personal care, homemaker services, and other supports. It is not an automatic cleaning service or a hoarding-disorder program; ask about the exact covered services, provider availability, cost share, and wait time.
Hartford’s Health and Human Services Department includes Senior Services and Community Services divisions focused on older-adult independence, wellness, homeownership, mental wellness, crisis intervention, and assistance for people facing homelessness. Ask what current local program or referral fits; this is not a hoarding-specific cleanup service.
Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford describes home-care services for older adults and caregivers along with counseling, food, and budgeting support. This is an independent provider, not an Alliance endorsement or a hoarding-specific service. Ask about service scope, cost, minimums, insurance or public-program participation, consent, and whether the home situation is within its capacity.
The International OCD Foundation directory can help people search for therapists, programs, support groups, organizers, and task forces related to hoarding. IOCDF says directory entries are not endorsements and information can change; confirm credentials, hoarding-specific experience, insurance, fees, service area, privacy, and fit directly.
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 friends and family. It can offer ongoing connection, tools, and momentum from Hartford or anywhere else. It is not therapy, clinical care, or emergency support.
A note from the Alliance
A listing here does not mean Fight the Blight endorses every provider or can guarantee availability. The Hoarding Alliance is not a city or state 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