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 Kalamazoo or Kalamazoo County.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, and nearby 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 Kalamazoo County behavioral-health crisis support, call 269-373-6000 or 888-373-6200; call or text 988 for nationwide crisis support. For housing, food, utilities, transportation, and basic-needs navigation, call 211 or review Kalamazoo County resources.
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.
211 can help identify local food, housing, utility, health-care, mental-health, transportation, and other basic-needs pathways. A referral is not a guarantee of an open bed, appointment, benefit, or service, so ask for Kalamazoo County options and confirm directly.
Integrated Services of Kalamazoo provides community mental-health and substance-use services, case management, peer and family supports, and crisis access. Ask about current fit, insurance or ability-to-pay options, mobile crisis, accessibility, and wait time; this is qualified care, not hoarding-specific cleanup or emergency dispatch.
Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services connects residents with public-health and community-support programs, including Area Agency on Aging services, caregiver support, home repair, transportation assistance, and case management. Ask which current service or assessment fits; some programs have waitlists or cost-sharing.
Kalamazoo County and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services pathways can help residents identify benefits, protective services, housing, medical, and family supports. Ask what current application, documentation, safety, or referral steps apply; this is not a cleanup service or emergency dispatch.
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 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, counseling service, or cleanup provider.
Call or text 988 for emotional distress, suicidal thoughts, or a mental-health or substance-use crisis. 988 can provide crisis support and connection; call 911 for immediate danger, fire, serious medical emergency, or emergency dispatch.
Integrated Services of Kalamazoo lists crisis and clinical access for Kalamazoo County, including a 24-hour crisis pathway. Call 269-373-6000 or 888-373-6200 for current options; call 911 for immediate danger. This is not a cleanup service or a guarantee of a particular response time.
Michigan's statewide hotline accepts reports of suspected child or adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation at 855-444-3911. Call 911 for immediate danger; protective-services reporting is not a general cleanup referral or emergency dispatch service.
CADA provides survivor-centered emergency shelter and support for people seeking safety from relationship abuse or sexual violence. Use a safe way to contact the crisis line and call 911 for immediate danger; it is not hoarding-specific care or a guaranteed placement.
Kalamazoo County publishes seasonal warming-shelter and warming-center information, including Ministry with Community and Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries. Availability changes with weather and season; confirm current registration, household rules, identification, pets, and capacity before traveling. Call 911 for immediate danger.
Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries describes emergency shelter, community meals, food, clothing, furniture, identification, and transportation help for people in short-term crisis. Call to ask about current capacity and county-residency rules; this is not a guaranteed bed, clinical care, or hoarding-support program.
Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for guidance after exposure to chemicals, medicines, or other potentially poisonous substances. Call 911 for collapse, trouble breathing, fire, or another immediate emergency; this is not a cleanup or hazardous-material removal service.
The Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care coordinates housing and homelessness-response partners and publishes current shelter and service information. Use it to understand the local system and confirm the current access point; it is not emergency dispatch or a guarantee of shelter.
The American Red Cross may help households affected by a disaster with immediate recovery connections and practical support. Contact the local chapter to ask what current assistance is available; this is not hoarding-specific support, a shelter guarantee, or emergency dispatch.
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.
Housing Resources Inc. is Kalamazoo County's housing assessment and resource pathway for people experiencing homelessness, facing eviction, or behind on rent or utilities. Its intake specialists help identify available options; call 211 outside regular access hours and confirm current shelter and assistance capacity.
Kalamazoo County's Housing Department works with public, private, and nonprofit partners on safe and affordable housing, rental assistance, supportive services, and transitional family shelter. Review current program information and use 211 or Housing Resources Inc. for individualized intake; county planning does not guarantee placement or funding.
Kalamazoo's 311 system accepts requests about city services, including improperly stored waste, missed collection, and related property concerns. Code enforcement can create notices, deadlines, fees, or cleanup costs; this is a regulatory pathway, not consent-based support, emergency dispatch, or guaranteed financial assistance.
The City of Kalamazoo publishes collection, recycling, bulk-trash, and hazardous-waste information. Review accepted materials, dates, curb-placement rules, drop-off requirements, and safe-transport instructions before moving chemicals, batteries, paint, or other hazardous items; this is practical disposal information, not a cleanup service.
Kalamazoo Metro provides fixed-route buses, Metro Connect demand-response and paratransit, and other mobility options across the county. Confirm current routes, fares, accessibility, service hours, and eligibility before traveling; this is not emergency transportation.
Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes provides tailored food assistance through pantry and partner programs in Kalamazoo County. Its current information says county residents may receive food twice per calendar month with self-declared need and no proof of income or identification; confirm the current need-food line, delivery, and appointment options.
Ministry with Community is a daytime shelter and resource center open daily to people experiencing homelessness, poverty, substance-use disorder, and other crises. Its current information says no requirements or referrals are needed to access services; confirm current hours and available supports before traveling.
Open Doors provides a residential shelter program for people experiencing homelessness who are working toward financial stability and permanent housing. Its current criteria include active employment or job seeking and program-specific participation rules; confirm fit, screening, and capacity before applying.
Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries describes community assistance with food, clothing, furniture, identification documents, driver's licenses, and bus tokens for people in short-term crisis. Call to schedule and confirm current availability; it is not a guaranteed benefit, cleanup service, or emergency response.
The Area Agency on Aging provides or coordinates services for older adults and caregivers, including home-delivered meals, home repair, respite, transportation, medical equipment, and community case management. Call for a needs assessment and current availability; some programs use cost-sharing or waitlists.
Michigan's energy-assistance programs connect eligible households with local providers and may help with utility emergencies, shutoff prevention, or weatherization. Ask for the current Kalamazoo County provider and documentation requirements; assistance is not cleaning funding or guaranteed same-day payment.
Kalamazoo County maintains a resource manual that brings together local food, shelter, benefits, health, housing, transportation, and service pathways. Use it to compare options, then confirm current hours, eligibility, capacity, and contact details directly; a directory is not an endorsement or guarantee.
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, and safety in Kalamazoo or across Michigan.
Unburied, from The Peer Tree, offers a respectful 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.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Kalamazoo, 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