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 Manitowoc and Manitowoc County.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Manitowoc, Manitowoc County, and other Lakeshore 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 review Manitowoc County crisis support. For shelter, food, and basic-needs navigation, review Wisconsin 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.
Use Wisconsin 211 to identify current local resources for shelter, food, utilities, health care, mental health, substance use, benefits, and other needs. A referral is not a guarantee of an open bed, appointment, benefit, or service, so confirm directly.
Manitowoc County Human Services connects residents with clinical services, crisis support, economic assistance, adult protective services, child protective services, and other county pathways. Ask which division fits the concern and what eligibility, cost, or documentation applies.
Manitowoc County lists crisis support during weekdays and a separate after-hours line for nights, weekends, and holidays. Call to discuss a behavioral-health crisis, and call 911 for immediate physical danger, fire, or a medical emergency.
The Aging and Disability Resource Center of the Lakeshore helps older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, families, and supporters understand benefits, long-term care, transportation, food, and support options. Public-funding eligibility is assessed separately.
NAMI Manitowoc County is the local National Alliance on Mental Illness affiliate. Ask about current peer, family, education, and support options, including virtual programs through NAMI Wisconsin when a local meeting is not available.
Painting Pathways Clubhouse is a nonprofit community where people with mental-health concerns work together, build relationships, and pursue personal goals. Its site states that services are free and do not require a referral or insurance; it is not an emergency service.
Lakeshore Community Health Care identifies behavioral-health and other community-health resources for Manitowoc County. Ask about current services, appointment access, insurance or sliding-fee options, and whether the concern belongs in primary or behavioral health.
The International OCD Foundation directory can be searched for clinicians, support groups, organizers, and programs that indicate an interest in hoarding-related care. Listings are not endorsements. Ask about licensure, fees, insurance, wait time, privacy, and whether home-based or telehealth work fits.
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 for a fire, medical emergency, violence, immediate threat, or dangerous condition that cannot wait for a scheduled service. Emergency dispatch is not a hoarding-support program, counseling service, or cleanup provider.
Call or text 988, or use online chat, for emotional distress, suicidal thoughts, mental-health or substance-use crisis, or concern about a loved one. Call 911 for immediate danger.
The county crisis page lists a daytime crisis number for residents who need behavioral-health support. Ask what response is available, whether a service may be billed, and what to do after hours.
For mental-health crisis needs outside the county's posted weekday daytime hours, use the county's after-hours number. This is crisis support, not a cleanup or housing-placement guarantee; call 911 for immediate physical danger.
Adult Protective Services serves older adults and adults with disabilities or other risk factors who may be unable to protect themselves. A clutter or fire concern may require a broader safety plan; it is not by itself proof of abuse. Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency.
Wisconsin DHS explains how to report suspected abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or financial exploitation to the county where the adult at risk lives. Use Manitowoc County's local route for county follow-up and ask about emergency options.
Manitowoc County provides separate daytime and after-hours reporting numbers for child protective services and youth justice concerns. Call 911 when a child faces immediate danger; ask the county which report route fits.
InCourage offers a 24/7 helpline, advocacy, emergency shelter, and practical support for survivors and children. Hoarding or clutter concerns do not replace a safety plan; call 911 for immediate danger and ask about confidential contact options.
The Haven is identified in county and state resource materials as an emergency shelter for men experiencing homelessness. Call before traveling to confirm current intake, capacity, accessibility, belongings rules, and whether another shelter route fits better.
Hope House is identified in county materials as a shelter and short-term housing-stability route. Ask about current openings, length of stay, accessibility, family composition, pets, belongings, and help finding longer-term housing.
The Manitowoc Warming Shelter provides a seasonal overnight option for people who need a safe place to get out of the cold. Confirm current opening dates, hours, intake, accessibility, and capacity before traveling; this is not emergency medical care.
The City of Manitowoc housing page points residents toward public housing, rental assistance, and Section 8 information. Ask about current waitlists, local preferences, reasonable accommodations, documentation, and whether a housing concern needs an emergency or code response.
People and practical help
These listings connect Manitowoc and Manitowoc County with housing, homelessness navigation, food, behavioral health, benefits, transit, legal help, peer support, and community resources. Ask about current availability, cost, scope, consent, and safety before relying on them.
Manitowoc County Economic Support helps residents apply for FoodShare and other benefits. Ask about online ACCESS applications, required documents, language access, disability accommodations, and the current intake process.
FoodShare is Wisconsin's SNAP program and can help eligible households buy food. Apply through ACCESS or the county route, complete the required interview, and ask about language or disability accommodations if needed.
Lakeshore CAP serves low- and moderate-income households in Manitowoc and surrounding counties with housing, food, utility, and other support programs. Ask about current funding, county scope, documents, and whether a housing or utility issue is urgent.
Peter's Pantry is identified by the Manitowoc Public Library as a local supplemental pantry with fresh, frozen, bakery, dairy, and shelf-stable foods. Confirm current hours, registration, household limits, identification, and accessibility before traveling.
Grow It Forward connects people with food-access and healthy-eating resources and is listed by the Manitowoc Public Library as a local meal and community-support option. Confirm current schedules, dietary information, and whether an appointment is needed.
The Salvation Army is listed in Manitowoc community resources as a general-needs pathway. Ask about current food, emergency assistance, recovery, family, and seasonal programs, as well as what documentation or household rules apply.
Wisconsin Housing Search helps residents look for available rental housing and housing resources. Listings do not guarantee that a unit is open, affordable, accessible, or a fit, so confirm directly and ask about reasonable accommodations.
County ADRC materials identify Integrated Community Solutions as the Section 8 and rental-assistance information route for Manitowoc and Kewaunee Counties. Ask about current waitlists, application steps, preferences, and accessibility.
Maritime Metro Transit connects Manitowoc and Two Rivers with fixed routes for work, appointments, shopping, and community services. Review current routes, service hours, fares, and stop accessibility before traveling to a shelter, pantry, clinic, or housing office.
Maritime Metro contracts for paratransit service for people who are unable to use available fixed-route buses because of a disability. Certification and advance reservations apply, and this is planned transportation rather than emergency transport.
Lakeshore Community Health Care's resource page identifies behavioral-health and community-health options for Manitowoc County. Ask about current care, payment or sliding-fee information, accessibility, and whether a concern fits the program's scope.
Manitowoc County resource materials list CORE Treatment Services among local treatment and recovery pathways. Ask about current assessment, outpatient or residential options, insurance, cost, wait time, and whether a peer or family support route is also available.
Lighthouse Recovery Community Center is identified in county and ADRC resource materials as a local recovery-support route. Ask about current peer support, recovery coaching, groups, safety expectations, and whether friends or family supporters may participate.
Legal Action of Wisconsin may help eligible residents with eviction, housing conditions, utilities, public benefits, and related civil issues. Use its intake process to confirm whether the concern fits current service-area and priority rules.
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 Manitowoc or across Wisconsin.
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.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, 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