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.
Role: outpatient assessment and treatment for general mental health needs; geography: county clinic in Ithaca; ask about residency and appointment options; cost/eligibility: confirm intake, payment or insurance, and any fee assistance; emergency limit: not emergency dispatch or a verified hoarding-specialty clinic. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
Tompkins County Whole Health: Mental Health Clinic
Ask whether a clinician has experience treating hoarding disorder and whether the clinic can help with a referral if that care is not available.
Role: nonprofit general medical care, not a hoarding-specialty service; geography: Ithaca clinic; confirm current clinic hours and service area; cost/eligibility: free medical care for uninsured and underinsured people; some services or medications are limited; emergency limit: not emergency medical care. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
Ithaca Free Clinic: Medical Care
If falls, breathing problems or other health concerns at home are making daily life harder, ask what the clinic can assess and whether it can make a referral.
Role: nonprofit peer-led support and shared activities for broader mental health needs; geography: Ithaca-based nonprofit; meeting locations and virtual access vary; cost/eligibility: confirm group fit, sign-up, current schedule and any cost; emergency limit: not therapy, crisis response or a verified hoarding treatment group. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
Mental Health Association in Tompkins County: Peer Support Groups
The group page includes virtual body doubling, where people work on their own tasks alongside others. Ask about the current format before joining.
Role: nonprofit family and peer support for broader mental health needs; geography: regional affiliate serving Tompkins County; check the meeting format; cost/eligibility: confirm the current schedule, registration and group fit; emergency limit: not therapy, a confirmed hoarding-specific group or emergency care. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
NAMI Finger Lakes: Support Groups
If you are supporting a family member, ask which group is meant for supporters and what participation is like.
Role: nonprofit search tool for hoarding-informed treatment and support; geography: search Ithaca and New York telehealth options; check where a clinician can serve you; cost/eligibility: confirm credentials, hoarding experience, availability, insurance and fees directly; emergency limit: not crisis support or a guarantee of local availability. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
International OCD Foundation: Hoarding Resource Directory
Ask a prospective provider whether they treat hoarding disorder specifically, how they approach it, and what you would decide together.
Role: nonprofit meal delivery for people who qualify; geography: Tompkins County; confirm delivery to the exact address; cost/eligibility: screening considers age, homebound status and barriers to preparing meals; ask about exceptions and contributions; emergency limit: not emergency food delivery or medical monitoring. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
Foodnet Meals on Wheels: Home-Delivered Meals
If shopping or preparing meals is difficult, ask about an eligibility assessment and tell the program how someone can safely reach your door.
Role: certified ADA complementary paratransit and a separate Gadabout ride program; geography: Ithaca and qualifying Tompkins County trips; programs have different boundaries; cost/eligibility: check which program you qualify for, any application, fares and booking rules; emergency limit: not an ambulance, moving service or hauler. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
TCAT and Gadabout: Accessible Transportation
Give the operator both addresses before planning around a ride. Ask which program fits and how far ahead to reserve.
Role: nonprofit prepared meals and practical referral help; geography: meal site in the City of Ithaca; cost/eligibility: meals are free; check the current schedule and service format; emergency limit: not emergency dispatch or home delivery. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
Loaves & Fishes of Tompkins County: Free Meals
If the kitchen is hard to use, a prepared meal can make today easier while you decide which part of the kitchen you want to use again.
Role: public computers and document printing, copying and scanning; geography: main library in downtown Ithaca; cost/eligibility: check computer access rules and any per-page charges; emergency limit: not legal advice or benefits intake. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
Tompkins County Public Library: Computers & Copy Center
Use the copy center to keep a copy of a notice or application. Sign out of accounts and take all your printed pages with you.
Role: municipal collection rules and trash tag information; geography: City of Ithaca; verify service for your building and whether it uses a private hauler; cost/eligibility: check tag fees, size limits and which items the city accepts; emergency limit: not indoor removal, hazardous waste service or a whole-home cleanout. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
City of Ithaca: Trash Collection
Start by checking the rules for one item rather than putting out a mixed pile. Do not assume a tagged bag covers furniture or electronics.
Role: county collection information for accepted household hazardous materials; geography: Tompkins County; confirm event location and residency rules; cost/eligibility: check current registration, materials, quantity limits and any fees before traveling; emergency limit: not emergency spill response, a home pickup service or whole-home cleanup. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
Tompkins County: Household Hazardous Waste
Check how the county handles the exact product before transporting it. Ask for instructions if a container is leaking or unlabeled.
Role: county information about energy-benefit intake, including the older-adult pathway; geography: Tompkins County; follow the page to the office that handles your household; cost/eligibility: income and seasonal program rules apply; confirm which components are open; emergency limit: not emergency dispatch or a guarantee that a shutoff will be paused. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
Tompkins County Office for the Aging: HEAP
Have the utility notice and account information handy. Give intake the date on the notice and ask which program can review it.
Role: home energy assessment and efficiency improvements for eligible households; geography: provider serves Cortland and Tompkins counties; confirm address and landlord requirements; cost/eligibility: provider lists no-cost service for eligible clients; screening, home access and scheduling apply; emergency limit: not emergency repairs, hazard removal or a cleanout grant. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
Cortland County Community Action Program: Weatherization
Ask which rooms or equipment the crew must reach and whether work can be staged if access is limited.
Role: public grocery-benefit screening and application assistance; geography: Tompkins County, including Ithaca; cost/eligibility: household and income rules apply; ask about documents and expedited screening; emergency limit: not a guarantee of approval or immediate meal delivery. | Each listing identifies its role, service area, cost or eligibility to confirm, and emergency limits.
Tompkins County Social Services: SNAP
If food is needed today, use a local meal resource while asking the county about an application or expedited screening.