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.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Richmond and other 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.
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 Virginia connects people with information about housing, food, healthcare, mental-health, utility, and other community resources throughout the Commonwealth. Enter a Richmond or Henrico location when searching and confirm current eligibility, language access, hours, and referral availability.
RBHA provides mental-health, developmental-disability, substance-use, prevention, housing, and crisis services for Richmond and the region. Ask about current crisis access, case management, community support, and whether a hoarding-related concern fits an available pathway. It is not a cleanup service.
Henrico’s older-adult services office helps residents find programs that support aging, independence, caregiver needs, transportation, and community connection. It also points residents to 211 and adult protective services. Confirm service area, age or disability requirements, fees, waitlists, and current provider capacity.
Richmond City Health District resource centers use community health workers to connect residents with primary care, employment, social, economic, and educational supports. These centers are useful for service navigation but are not hoarding-specific treatment, cleanup, or emergency response.
The IOCDF lists a monthly GOAL group in the Richmond area for adults diagnosed with OCD or a related disorder, with emotional and practical peer support and a hybrid meeting format. Hoarding may be relevant as an OC-related concern, but the group is not therapy. Confirm current schedule, diagnosis requirements, venue, and fit before attending.
Safety and stability
These pathways serve different situations. Read the labels carefully before calling, especially when a response may involve protective services, housing screening, code enforcement, or emergency dispatch.
Call or text 988 for immediate behavioral-health crisis support. Counselors can listen, help with safety planning, and connect callers to local services. This is not a hoarding-specific service or cleanup line; call 911 for a medical emergency, fire, or immediate threat to life.
Henrico Adult Protective Services investigates reports involving adults aged 60 and older and incapacitated adults over 18. The county’s goal is to protect life, health, and property without unnecessary loss of liberty. This is a protective-services pathway, not cleanup or treatment; use 911 first for immediate danger and ask about the process and the person’s rights.
Richmond’s property-maintenance program enforces the Virginia Maintenance Code and addresses exterior conditions and property safety. This is an enforcement pathway rather than a consent-based support or cleanup program; ask about the complaint process, notices, timelines, and possible consequences when safety allows.
The City of Richmond directs people experiencing homelessness or housing instability to the Homeless Connection Line for help accessing shelter and resources. The city notes it is not a right-to-shelter state and that direct shelter access is not guaranteed. Call for coordinated entry before traveling to a shelter.
Richmond’s homeless-services page lists a Housing Resource Line for housing instability and an Eviction Help Line for tenant concerns. Use the appropriate line based on the situation, and confirm current hours, documentation, and whether the problem is an emergency or requires legal assistance.
Richmond’s Marcus Alert system describes a behavioral-health-led pathway in which trained crisis staff provide emotional support, referrals, and coordination when appropriate. It is not a hoarding cleanup response; call 911 for a life-threatening emergency and 988 for national crisis support.
Henrico’s resource list brings together regional housing, crisis, food, legal, aging, and human-service contacts. It can help identify a next call when the system is unclear, but directory information and program availability can change; verify each listing directly.
People and practical help
These listings offer local connections for care, education, housing, organizing, or disposal. They are independent organizations; ask about current availability, cost, scope, consent, and safety before relying on them.
Richmond provides biweekly bulk and brush collection during the recycling week and asks residents to place items out by the scheduled collection time. The city lists a paid special-request option for some needs. Confirm item limits, set-out rules, fees, and the address’s collection schedule before placing anything outside.
Richmond’s service directory links residents to trash collection, public works, housing, human services, and neighborhood resources. It can help route practical questions when the correct city department is unclear, but it is not a clinical or emergency service.
Virginia DBHDS directs residents to 211 and community services boards for mental-health, developmental-disability, substance-use, crisis, prevention, residential, and housing services. Use it to understand the public system serving Richmond or Henrico, then confirm local intake and eligibility directly.
Commonwealth Catholic Charities’ Housing Resource Center helps people apply for housing programs, assistance, and referrals. Services depend on eligibility and program availability. It is not a cleanup service, but it may be useful when clutter or safety concerns are connected to housing instability.
Henrico’s older-adult resources page directs residents who cannot afford an attorney to the Virginia Poverty Law Center. It may help with legal-information and referral questions related to housing, benefits, or exploitation; confirm current intake and whether a local legal-aid provider is the better fit.
The International OCD Foundation directory can help search for therapists, programs, support groups, professional organizers, and task forces. IOCDF says listings are not endorsements and information can change; confirm credentials, hoarding-specific experience, fees, insurance, service area, privacy, and fit directly.
The Peer Tree offers nonclinical hoarding and clutter support, including organizing help, groups, family guidance, and practical next steps. Ask about current availability, service area, scope, pacing, privacy, and fees before beginning. The Peer Tree is a separate private-pay pathway from Fight the Blight’s nonprofit programming.
Unburied, from The Peer Tree, is a judgment-free digital peer-support pathway for people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns and for friends and family. It can offer ongoing connection, tools, and momentum from Richmond or anywhere else. It is not therapy, clinical care, or emergency support.
A note before you begin
Sometimes the next step is a conversation. Sometimes it is a safety question, a housing concern, a call to an aging-service navigator, or simply finding someone who will listen without judgment. Start with the doorway that feels most workable.