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 Racine and Racine County.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Racine, Racine County, and other southeastern Wisconsin 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 Racine County crisis services. For shelter, food, and basic-needs navigation, review Wisconsin 211 and HALO.
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.
Racine County Human Services connects residents with behavioral health, adult and disability services, economic support, protective services, and other public pathways. Ask which division fits the concern and what eligibility or documentation applies.
Behavioral Health Services of Racine County provides mental-health and substance-use evaluations, counseling, and other services, including support for some serious mental-health conditions. Ask about current intake, payment, insurance, and whether the service fits the situation.
Racine Public Library's social worker can help with resource assessment and referrals related to housing, legal help, employment, benefits, crisis support, mental health, addiction, and other needs. Support is available by phone, Zoom, or in person; appointments are recommended.
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 current experience, licensure, fees, insurance, wait time, privacy, and whether home-based or telehealth work fits.
The county ADRC publishes directories for community resources, living options, emergency planning, disability, and other needs. Use a directory to identify a possible next call, then confirm current hours, eligibility, capacity, cost, and scope directly.
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, coordinated entry, municipal waste services, 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.
Racine County lists a 24-hour crisis line for mental-health and substance-use crisis support, evaluation, and referral. It is not emergency dispatch, a cleanup provider, or a guarantee of placement; call 911 for immediate danger.
Racine County identifies Adult Protective Services for concerns involving an older adult or adult at risk, including abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and exploitation. A capable adult's choices and privacy remain important; call 911 for an emergency.
Wisconsin DHS explains how to report suspected abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or financial exploitation to the county where the adult at risk lives. Call 911 when the situation is life-threatening or immediately dangerous.
Racine County ADRC provides a Special Needs Alert option for information that may help law enforcement contact or locate a resident with needs such as dementia, autism, developmental disability, or hearing or vision impairment. Ask how enrollment works and what the program can and cannot do.
The Women's Resource Center provides crisis intervention, shelter, advocacy, housing support, education, and prevention services for people affected by domestic abuse or sexual assault. Use the confidential crisis pathway; call 911 for immediate danger.
HOPES serves people experiencing homelessness and helps connect people to shelter and longer-term resources. Its local shelter guidance explains that different shelters serve different populations and that space and entry requirements vary; it is not a guaranteed placement.
HALO provides shelter and housing programs for men, women, and families with children and offers case management toward housing stability. Contact HALO to ask about current shelter access, household fit, accessibility, and housing-program intake.
HOPES identifies SAFE Haven of Racine as a shelter for children in crisis ages 10 through 17. Confirm current intake and eligibility directly; this is not adult shelter, emergency dispatch, or a general cleanup service.
HOPES identifies the Transitional Living Center as a shelter for women and children serving western Racine County. Confirm current service area, openings, transportation, and intake requirements before traveling.
The Racine County Housing Authority provides public housing and tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher assistance. Its current site says all waiting lists are closed, so check directly for changes, reasonable accommodations, and other housing options before relying on this route.
The county housing authority explains Housing Choice Vouchers and special-purpose programs such as VASH, Mainstream, and Foster Youth to Independence. A voucher is not an immediate housing placement; confirm current list status, eligibility, and required steps.
The City of Racine publishes current solid-waste, recycling, yard-waste, drop-off, and bulky-item information. These services are practical waste pathways, not emergency cleanup, hoarding support, or a promise that every item or volume can be accepted; check the current lookup and fees first.
People and practical help
These listings connect Racine and Racine 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.
The ADRC helps older adults, adults with disabilities, caregivers, and families understand benefits, long-term-care options, transportation, housing, and support services. Ask for the right pathway based on age, disability, consent, and safety needs.
Racine County describes transportation options including RYDE, DART, K-Town Transportation, and other services. Ask which service fits the rider, trip, mobility needs, and timing; these are planned rides, not emergency transportation.
The library's social worker can help with housing, legal, employment, education, benefits, crisis, mental-health, addiction, domestic-violence, and other referrals. Bring the question you have, not a perfect service name; ask about current appointment or drop-in availability.
Racine County Food Bank directs people seeking emergency food to 211 and local partner pantries and publishes community-meal information. Contact the listed pantry or 211 to confirm address, hours, documentation, accessibility, and current availability.
United Way of Racine County explains that Wisconsin FoodShare is SNAP and lists local pantries and free community meals. Some pantries may require proof of address or identification, while meals may have different rules; confirm directly before traveling.
Economic Support helps residents apply for FoodShare, BadgerCare Plus, and other benefits and provides information about community resources. The county lists a call center at 1-888-794-5820; confirm the current application route and documents needed.
Racine Kenosha Community Action supports households through community-action and energy-assistance programs. Ask about current WHEAP, weatherization, housing, and other services, and confirm whether the address and household meet the current rules.
Wisconsin's Home Energy Plus programs can help eligible households with heating, electric, and energy-crisis costs. Confirm the current application window, local agency, required documents, and whether a shutoff or crisis changes the intake path.
Racine Outreach Community Health Center opened a new Racine location in 2026 and describes primary care, family medicine, behavioral-health coordination, and access regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Confirm current appointment availability, fees, and service scope.
NAMI Racine County offers education, advocacy, peer support, and family support programs for people living with mental illness and those who care about them. Its groups are peer-led and are not therapy, emergency response, or hoarding-specific care; confirm current schedule and fit.
Legal Action of Wisconsin provides civil legal help to eligible low-income residents. Ask about eviction, housing conditions, benefits, discrimination, debt, or other civil matters and confirm current intake priorities before relying on representation.
The Racine Continuum of Care coordinates local organizations that provide street outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid rehousing, health care, counseling, and legal services. It is a network and planning body, not a guaranteed placement or emergency service.
Wisconsin Housing Search helps residents look for available rental housing and housing resources. Listings are not a guarantee that a unit is open, affordable, accessible, or a fit, so confirm directly with the property and ask about reasonable accommodations.
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 Racine or elsewhere in southeastern 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 Racine, 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