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 Lewis and Clark County.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Helena, Lewis and Clark 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, or immediate threat. For behavioral-health crisis support, call or text 988.
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.
Montana 211 provides 24/7 information and referral for local community resources. Call 211 or use the service to ask for current Lewis and Clark County options involving housing, utilities, mental health, food, disability, or safety. Confirm eligibility, capacity, hours, transportation, and referral requirements directly.
Lewis and Clark County Public Health maintains public-health information and connects residents with county programs and community partners. Use it when a concern involves health, housing conditions, disability, or a need that does not fit one service name. It is not a cleanup provider or emergency dispatch service.
The county behavioral-health team describes partnerships that connect people to treatment, housing, and community services. Its Our Place drop-in center offers peer-run support, housing assistance, transportation assistance, crisis mitigation, food, and referrals. Confirm current hours, eligibility, and whether the requested support is available.
Rocky Mountain Development Council is the local eligibility and service pathway for energy assistance and weatherization in Lewis and Clark County and also provides aging-related services. Energy and weatherization support can improve household stability and safety, but it is not cleanup funding. Confirm current applications, income rules, and available funds.
The International OCD Foundation's hoarding directory helps people search for therapists, programs, support groups, organizers, and task forces. A directory listing is not an Alliance endorsement or credential guarantee. Ask about hoarding-specific experience, consent-based pacing, privacy, insurance, fees, and scope before choosing a provider.
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, shelter, or emergency dispatch.
St. Peter's describes behavioral-health treatment, a behavioral-health unit, and a 24/7 mobile crisis response team intended to connect people to care while keeping them safe. This is clinical and crisis care, not a hoarding-specific organizing or cleanup service. Call 911 for immediate danger.
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, fire, violence, or a medical emergency.
Montana APS protects older adults and adults with disabilities from abuse, neglect, and exploitation while emphasizing safety, freedom, and least-restrictive support. Use it for a genuine protective concern, not as a general cleanup referral. The state says to call 911 if harm is occurring right now and provides a separate APS reporting line for non-life-threatening concerns.
Helena's community-decay ordinance addresses public-view accumulation of rubble, debris, junk, refuse, dilapidated buildings, and conditions involving pests or public safety. It also describes screening and mitigation options. This is a regulatory pathway that can create housing consequences, not a consent-based support service; confirm current city procedures before reporting.
The Helena Housing Authority provides safe and affordable housing options for eligible low-income families, older adults, and people with disabilities. Its current site describes online applications and waitlists for public housing, local and state vouchers, project-based vouchers, and affordable rentals. Confirm current openings, reasonable accommodations, and documentation directly.
Good Samaritan Ministries describes homelessness-prevention and rapid-rehousing programs, including limited rent, mortgage, and deposit assistance. Its emergency funds have specific eligibility rules and can be available only for a short period. Ask what funding is open, what documentation is required, and whether the household meets the current definition of homelessness or housing instability.
God's Love provides emergency shelter, meals, clothing, hygiene products, access to medical care, financial assistance, and a family transitional center. Its published shelter rules and admission process apply, and capacity can change. This is not hoarding-specific care or a guaranteed placement; call before relying on a bed or program.
Family Promise of Greater Helena supports children and families experiencing homelessness through prevention, case management, emergency shelter, community response, and referrals. It is not an adult-only shelter, hoarding-specific service, or guaranteed placement. Confirm current intake and eligibility directly.
Our Place is described by Lewis and Clark County as a peer-run support center for people experiencing behavioral-health challenges or recovery needs. Services include housing assistance, transportation assistance, job-application help, food, community groups, and mental-health referrals. Confirm current drop-in hours and which supports are available.
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, behavioral-health counseling service, or cleanup provider. When the situation is not immediately dangerous, begin with Fight the Blight or a local support, care, or navigation pathway.
People and practical help
These listings offer connections for care, education, housing, benefits, utilities, home repair, organizing, or disposal. They are independent organizations; ask about current availability, cost, scope, consent, and safety before relying on them.
The City of Helena describes a Home Renewal Program delivered with NeighborWorks Montana to address health and safety work, accessibility needs, and weatherization or energy-efficiency deficiencies. The city describes zero-interest loans that may be fully forgiven if the owner remains in the home for 10 years. It is not a hoarding-cleanup grant; confirm current funding and eligibility.
Helena operates residential and commercial waste collection and a Solid Waste Transfer Station. The city describes bulk-waste services, permits, tipping fees, and disposal for appliances and electronics. Confirm what is accepted, whether a permit is needed, current costs, and how to handle hazardous or heavy materials before moving them.
Montana's LIHEAP and Weatherization programs can help eligible households with heating costs, certain furnace emergencies, energy education, and efficiency improvements. The state says LIHEAP generally follows the October 1-April 30 heating season while weatherization applications may be made year-round. This is not cleanup funding; ask the local Helena eligibility office about current intake.
The City of Helena provides utility billing and maintenance contacts for water, wastewater, residential solid waste, service interruptions, sewer backups, and service-line issues. Utility stability can support a broader safety plan, but billing staff do not provide hoarding support or cleanup. Confirm account, repair, and assistance options directly.
Rocky Mountain Development Council's energy office helps with LIHEAP, Energy Share, and weatherization pathways. Energy Share may assist households facing energy emergencies, while weatherization focuses on efficiency and safety measures. Ask about current funding, documentation, and whether the household is served by the Helena office.
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 Helena or anywhere else. It is not therapy, clinical care, or emergency support.
The IOCDF organizer directory can help identify organizers who state that they work with hoarding-related concerns. A directory listing is not an endorsement or credential guarantee. Ask about experience, consent-based pacing, privacy, item decisions, disposal practices, cost, and scope before hiring.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Helena, the county seat of Lewis and Clark County, and includes city, countywide, statewide, 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