Virtual groups - Alliance front door
Fight the Blight
Fight the Blight offers virtual support groups for people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns. Reach out from New York City to ask about current group options and the best place to begin.
A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide
Hoarding support in New York City.
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, or practical concern.
People first.Then the stuff.A Fight the Blight initiative
Start here - Fight the Blight
You do not have to be in Pennsylvania to begin with us.
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from New York City and other communities. We can help you think through what is happening and what kind of next step may fit.
For immediate danger
Call 911 for a medical emergency, fire, or immediate threat. For a behavioral-health crisis, call or text 988. For a housing crisis, call 311 and ask about Homebase.
First conversations
A few good places to start
You do not need to know the perfect service name before reaching out. These organizations can help you identify a next step.
Qualified care - City public hospital
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
Metropolitan's Behavioral & Mental Health Services page explicitly lists hoarding among the conditions it addresses. The hospital also lists a walk-in evaluation unit and adult clinic hours; ask about current availability, insurance, fees, and fit.
Older adults and caregivers - Citywide
NYC Aging In-Home Services
For New Yorkers age 60 and older who need help remaining at home, NYC Aging funds local case-management agencies that can connect residents with benefits, meals, home care, housekeeping, and other supports. Eligibility is assessed through intake and, when appropriate, an in-home visit.
Qualified care and support search - Search NYC
IOCDF Resource Directory
The International OCD Foundation directory can help people look for clinicians, support groups, and professional organizers with relevant hoarding-related experience. Availability, insurance, fees, and fit must be confirmed directly.
Caregivers and families - Citywide support
NYC Aging Caregiving
NYC Aging connects caregivers with information and referrals, care planning, training, support groups, counseling, respite services, and limited financial assistance. Call Aging Connect to discuss the household's needs and current program availability; eligibility varies by service.
Safety and stability
When the concern involves safety, housing, or crisis
These pathways serve different situations. Read the labels carefully before calling, especially when a response may involve an investigation, inspection, or emergency dispatch.
Behavioral-health crisis - Free and confidential 24/7
988 and NYC crisis support
Call or text 988 for free, confidential crisis counseling, mental-health and substance-use support, peer support, and referrals. NYC's 988 service may connect people to mobile crisis teams or other care when appropriate. Call 911 for an immediate medical emergency or threat.
Adults at risk - Eligibility and assessment apply
NYC Adult Protective Services
HRA's APS program serves physically or mentally impaired adults who may be at risk and helps eligible clients live safely at home. Anyone can make a referral. HRA says an eligible assessment may lead to a home visit within three business days, or within 24 hours when the situation is life-threatening; this is not a general clutter hotline.
Housing quality and safety - City limits
NYC Housing Preservation & Development / 311
For a housing quality or safety problem, NYC advises contacting the landlord first when possible, then filing a 311 complaint if the issue is not resolved. HPD may follow up, issue violations, or send an inspector. This is a government enforcement pathway, not a support group or cleanup service.
Housing stability - Five boroughs
Homebase homelessness prevention
Homebase helps people who are low-income, at imminent risk of entering the NYC shelter system, and want to remain stably housed. Services can include eviction prevention, benefits assistance, emergency rental assistance, financial counseling, relocation help, and short-term financial assistance. Call 311 to find the designated office.
Displacement after fire or city order - Emergency limits apply
Vacate orders and emergency relocation
If a fire or city-issued vacate order has displaced a household, NYC's HPD Emergency Housing Services unit provides emergency relocation and rehousing assistance. Do not enter a building with an active vacate order; call 911 if people are currently inside and call 311 for city guidance.
Home repairs and accessibility - Eligible 1-4 family owners
NYC HPD HomeFix
HPD's HomeFix program connects eligible owners of one- to four-family homes with affordable low- or no-interest and potentially forgivable financing for repairs, including health, safety, energy, and accessibility work. Ownership, primary-residence, income, and other rules apply; this is a repair pathway, not a cleanup service.
Housing stability - Eligibility and application apply
NYC HRA rent assistance
NYC HRA describes Emergency Assistance Grants, CityFHEPS, FHEPS, and Homebase as pathways that may help people who are homeless or at risk of losing housing. Applications and eligibility rules vary; use the official guidance to identify the right program before relying on a payment or placement.
People and practical help
Independent providers and practical logistics
These listings offer a local connection for care, organizing, cleanup, or disposal. They are independent organizations; ask about current availability, cost, scope, consent, and safety before relying on them.
Independent provider - NYC apartment cleanup
NYC Hoards
This private provider advertises sorting, removal, item recovery, donation staging, and apartment reset support for overwhelmed NYC apartments. Ask for a written scope, cost, disposal plan, document-recovery process, and how the person living there will be involved before work begins.
Independent provider - Cleanup and sanitation
GreenEx Cleanouts
This private provider advertises hoarding cleanup, deep cleanouts, recurring cleanup, clutter removal, and pest or animal cleanup across New York City and surrounding counties. Ask about current borough coverage, insurance, pricing, disposal, and whether specialized remediation is needed.
Practical disposal - City residents
NYC Department of Sanitation bulk-item disposal
NYC residents can use free curbside collection for large items, with up to six items per collection day and special rules for appliances, electronics, mattresses, construction debris, and other materials. Pick-up appointments are no longer offered. This can help with logistics after a plan is made, but DSNY is not a cleanup service and cannot replace safety or support planning.
Private-pay pathway - Practical and family support
The Peer Tree
The Peer Tree is the private-pay support pathway for organizing help, decluttering, family guidance, and related nonclinical services when a situation does not fit a grant or public-service pathway. Ask about current scope, availability, and cost before beginning.
Digital peer support - Ongoing tools
Unburied from The Peer Tree
Unburied is The Peer Tree's digital peer-support pathway for ongoing tools, structured reflection, and momentum between conversations. It is not therapy, emergency response, or a substitute for local crisis or housing services.
A note from the Alliance
Start with the person. Then decide what the situation needs.
A listing here does not mean Fight the Blight endorses every provider or can guarantee availability. The Hoarding Alliance is not a city 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