A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide

Hoarding support in Roanoke, Virginia.

A calm, respectful place to begin if 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 Roanoke.

People first.Then the stuff.A Fight the Blight initiative

Start here - Fight the Blight

You do not have to solve everything before asking for help.

Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Roanoke 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 immediate danger, fire, rescue, a medical emergency, violence, or an active threat. For behavioral-health or substance-use crisis support, call or text 988 or contact Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare at 540-981-9351. For city benefits and protective-services navigation, call Roanoke Social Services at 540-853-2591; for broader Virginia resource navigation, call 211.

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 understand the landscape and identify a next step.

Private-pay hoarding support, organizing help, groups, and family guidance - broader service area, including possible support for Roanoke; private-pay scope, cost, scheduling, travel, consent, safety, and capacity must be confirmed directly; not emergency or clinical care

The Peer Tree

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, safety, and whether support is available in Roanoke or the surrounding region.

Digital peer-support pathway for people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns - online; not therapy or emergency support

Unburied

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.

Free 24/7 call, text, and chat crisis pathway - Virginia and nationwide; crisis response, privacy, and handoff rules apply; not cleanup or emergency dispatch

Virginia 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988 for confidential behavioral-health crisis support and connection to Virginia's crisis system. Use 911 for immediate danger, fire, rescue, or a medical emergency.

Qualified community-services-board pathway for mental health, substance use, developmental services, crisis support, and recovery - Roanoke Valley; intake, insurance, financial-assistance, and capacity rules vary; not emergency dispatch

Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare

Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare serves Roanoke and the surrounding region with behavioral-health, substance-use, developmental, crisis, outreach, and recovery pathways. Confirm the current intake and service fit; call 911 for immediate physical danger.

City human-services, homelessness, benefits, protective-services, family, and community-support navigation - Roanoke city limits and partner network; program, eligibility, documentation, and capacity rules apply

Roanoke City Human and Social Services

Roanoke's Human and Social Services departments connect residents to public benefits, protective services, homelessness assistance, family supports, and partner agencies. Ask which program or partner fits the situation.

Homelessness-prevention, shelter, coordinated-entry, rapid-rehousing, and housing-navigation pathway - Roanoke Valley; screening, household, eligibility, documentation, availability, and capacity rules apply; not emergency dispatch

Roanoke Homeless Assistance Team and Central Intake

The city uses Central Intake and its Homeless Assistance Team to connect eligible people with shelter, prevention, and housing-navigation pathways. Call 540-853-1163 and confirm current screening and availability before traveling.

Free confidential resource-navigation pathway - Virginia; local availability, eligibility, language access, and referral limits apply; not emergency dispatch

211 Virginia

Call 211 or search Virginia's resource directory for food, housing, utilities, health care, employment, veteran, child-care, and crisis-navigation options. Call 911 for an emergency.

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 crisis care, protective services, shelter, housing rules, legal advocacy, or emergency dispatch.

Immediate danger and emergency dispatch - Roanoke response area; use for fire, rescue, medical emergency, violence, or active threat; not a hoarding-support program

911 Emergency Services

Call 911 when there is immediate danger, fire, a medical emergency, violence, a rescue need, or a threat that cannot wait for a scheduled service.

City police, fire-EMS, 911, sheriff, and emergency-management navigation - Roanoke city limits; emergency dispatch and department rules apply; call 911 for immediate danger

Roanoke Public Safety

Roanoke's public-safety page routes residents to police, Fire-EMS, 911, the Sheriff's Office, and Emergency Management. Use 911 for immediate danger rather than a planned service request.

Local police reporting, response, and non-emergency public-safety pathway - Roanoke; jurisdiction and response rules apply; use 911 for immediate danger

Roanoke Police Department

Use the Roanoke Police Department for law-enforcement response and reporting. The city lists 540-853-2212 for non-emergency police matters; call 911 for immediate danger.

Full-service fire suppression, emergency medical, rescue, prevention, and fire-safety pathway - Roanoke; emergency response, inspection, transport, and service rules apply

Roanoke Fire-EMS

Roanoke Fire-EMS provides fire suppression, basic and advanced pre-hospital life support, rescue, prevention, and community risk-reduction programs. Call 911 for an emergency; routine questions go to 540-853-2327.

Local emergency preparedness, hazard information, alerts, response, and recovery pathway - Roanoke; incident-specific instructions apply; not emergency dispatch

Roanoke Emergency Management

Roanoke Emergency Management coordinates preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery information. During an active emergency, follow 911 and public-safety instructions first.

Protective-services reporting and assessment pathway for abuse, neglect, exploitation, and self-neglect - Roanoke city; reporting, confidentiality, jurisdiction, and emergency rules apply

Roanoke Adult Protective Services

Roanoke Social Services receives reports involving adults who may need protective services, including possible abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect. Call 911 for immediate danger and confirm reporting guidance.

24/7 statewide protective-services reporting pathway - Virginia; assessment, confidentiality, jurisdiction, and emergency rules apply

Virginia Adult Protective Services Hotline

Use Virginia's Adult Protective Services hotline to report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect when the local department is closed. Call 911 for immediate danger.

Child protective-services reporting and assessment pathway - Roanoke city; assessment, confidentiality, jurisdiction, and emergency rules apply

Roanoke Child Protective Services

Roanoke Social Services receives reports of suspected child abuse or neglect involving a Roanoke child or family. Call 911 for immediate danger.

24/7 statewide child-protective-services reporting pathway - Virginia; assessment, confidentiality, jurisdiction, and emergency rules apply

Virginia Child Protective Services Hotline

Use Virginia's Child Protective Services hotline outside local office hours to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Call 911 for immediate danger.

24/7 behavioral-health and substance-use crisis assessment, stabilization, and connection-to-care pathway - Roanoke Valley; clinical triage, admissions, payment, and capacity rules apply; call 911 for immediate physical danger

Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare Crisis Services

Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare lists a 24/7 crisis line at 540-981-9351 and crisis-stabilization services in the Roanoke Valley. Confirm the current route; it is not a substitute for 911 in an immediate physical emergency.

Regional acute-care, emergency-department, trauma, and behavioral-health evaluation pathway - Roanoke Valley; triage, transfer, insurance, billing, and capacity rules apply; call 911 for life-threatening symptoms

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital Emergency Department

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital provides emergency and acute hospital care. Hospital care is not a cleanup program; call 911 for life-threatening symptoms rather than driving if conditions may be urgent.

Public-health, environmental-health, clinic, preparedness, family-services, WIC, and health-navigation pathway - Roanoke city; appointment, eligibility, fee, and jurisdiction rules apply

Roanoke City Health Department

The Roanoke Health District provides clinic, WIC, environmental-health, preparedness, family-services, and vital-record pathways. Confirm current locations, appointments, eligibility, and fees before traveling.

State emergency preparedness, disaster-information, shelter, evacuation, and resilience pathway - Virginia; incident-specific guidance and local-response rules apply

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

Virginia Department of Emergency Management provides statewide preparedness and disaster information. During an active local emergency, follow 911, Roanoke, and public-safety instructions first.

Utility-location and excavation-safety pathway - Virginia, including Roanoke; request timing, utility marking, and project rules apply; not a repair or emergency-dispatch service

Virginia 811

Use Virginia 811 before digging or starting work that could affect buried utilities. Follow current request timing and call 911 for an active utility emergency.

Poison-exposure information and triage pathway - Virginia; exposure-specific instructions apply; call 911 for severe symptoms or immediate danger

Virginia Poison Center

The Virginia Poison Center provides exposure guidance and triage. Follow the current poison-center instructions and call 911 for severe symptoms, breathing trouble, collapse, or immediate danger.

People and practical help

Housing, food, care, transportation, and ongoing support

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.

Benefits, food, healthcare, energy, child-care, employment, family-support, and protective-services pathway - Roanoke city residents; program, income, household, identity, documentation, and appointment rules apply

Roanoke Social Services

Roanoke Social Services helps residents apply for or navigate public-assistance and family-service programs. Benefit eligibility and protective-services intake rules apply; call 911 for immediate danger.

Online benefits application and screening pathway - Virginia; program, income, household, identity, and documentation rules apply

Virginia CommonHelp

CommonHelp is Virginia's official application and screening pathway for food, health, cash, energy, and child-care assistance. Eligibility depends on the program and household circumstances.

Heating, cooling, crisis, and energy-bill assistance pathway - Virginia, including Roanoke; season, household, income, fuel, and funding rules apply; not emergency utility repair or dispatch

Virginia Energy Assistance

Virginia Energy Assistance information can help eligible households understand fuel, cooling, crisis, and utility-assistance pathways. Confirm current application windows and local processing requirements.

City-maintained referral list for food, housing, health, counseling, legal, utility, and practical supports - Roanoke Valley; each listed program has its own eligibility, cost, hours, and capacity rules

Roanoke Community Resource List

The city publishes a broad community resource list with food, housing, health, legal, counseling, energy, shelter, and practical pathways. Verify each organization and current access directly.

Local food-pantry and meal-navigation pathway - Roanoke area; pantry hours, geography, identification, age, disability, household, and supply rules vary; not emergency dispatch

Roanoke Area Food Banks

The City of Roanoke maintains current local food and meal contacts, including pantry, senior-meal, and regional food-bank pathways. Confirm location, eligibility, hours, and available supplies before traveling.

Regional food-bank and hunger-relief pathway - Southwest Virginia; pantry, mobile distribution, partner, household, and supply rules apply; not emergency dispatch

Feeding Southwest Virginia

Feeding Southwest Virginia connects the region with food-distribution and partner-agency pathways. Use its current help and partner information to identify an option serving Roanoke and confirm availability.

Emergency shelter, meals, recovery, and homelessness-support pathway - Roanoke; household, intake, conduct, space, and program-capacity rules apply; not emergency dispatch

Roanoke Rescue Mission

The Roanoke Rescue Mission offers emergency shelter and meals and describes separate men, women, and family pathways. Confirm current intake, space, hours, and program requirements before traveling.

Free day shelter, meals, laundry, hygiene, storage, day labor, and limited emergency financial-assistance pathway - Roanoke; open-hours, conduct, eligibility, and funding rules apply; not overnight shelter or emergency dispatch

RAM House

Roanoke Area Ministries' RAM House provides a daytime refuge, meals, laundry, hygiene supplies, storage, and access to emergency financial assistance for people who qualify. Current published hours and rules should be confirmed directly.

Emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, and housing-support pathway for families with children - Roanoke Valley; household, assessment, space, and program rules apply; not emergency dispatch

Family Promise of Greater Roanoke

Family Promise of Greater Roanoke serves families experiencing homelessness through shelter and housing-support programs. Confirm current family eligibility, intake, space, and schedule directly.

Central-intake, shelter, prevention, rapid-rehousing, and coordinated-entry pathway - Roanoke; homelessness status, income, documentation, assessment, and provider-capacity rules apply

City of Roanoke Homeless Assistance Team

Roanoke's Homeless Assistance Team and Central Intake route eligible residents to shelter, prevention, and housing pathways. Call 540-853-1163 and confirm current screening instructions.

Public housing, Housing Choice Voucher, and housing-stability pathway - Roanoke city; income, household, waitlist, documentation, and availability rules apply; no emergency-housing guarantee

Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority

RRHA administers public-housing and voucher pathways for eligible households. Confirm current waitlist status, application documents, accessibility, and program eligibility directly.

Regional homelessness, housing, coordinated-care, and community-services partnership pathway - Roanoke Valley; program, income, household, referral, and funding rules apply; not emergency dispatch

Council of Community Services

The Council of Community Services coordinates regional partner pathways for homelessness, housing stability, and community support. Confirm current program and referral requirements directly.

Civil legal-aid and housing-stability pathway for eligible Virginia residents - Roanoke Valley; case type, income, conflict, intake, and capacity rules apply; not emergency legal or crisis response

Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley

Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley provides civil legal information and may represent eligible clients in qualifying matters. Confirm case type, income rules, intake, and availability before relying on a referral.

Area Agency on Aging pathway for older adults, caregivers, and disability-related independence supports - Roanoke Valley; assessments, eligibility, sliding-scale rules, waitlists, and capacity vary; not emergency or clinical care

Local Office on Aging

The Local Office on Aging serves Roanoke and the Fifth Planning District with care coordination, nutrition, transportation, legal assistance, caregiver support, and aging-in-place navigation. Confirm age, income, program, and capacity rules directly.

Community health, dental, pharmacy, behavioral-health, and sliding-fee care pathway - Roanoke Valley; appointment, income, insurance, service, and capacity rules apply; not emergency care

New Horizons Healthcare

New Horizons Healthcare describes community-based medical, dental, pharmacy, and behavioral-health services, including sliding-fee options for eligible patients. Confirm current appointment, payment, and service details directly.

Home-repair and accessibility-modification pathway for eligible low-income homeowners - Roanoke Valley; ownership, occupancy, income, priority, application, and capacity rules apply; not emergency repair

Renovation Alliance

Renovation Alliance provides critical home repairs and accessibility modifications for eligible homeowners. The city resource list identifies income and occupancy requirements; confirm the current application and project scope directly.

Regional fixed-route, commuter, and paratransit pathway for Roanoke Valley residents - routes, fares, eligibility, reservations, accessibility, and weather changes apply; not emergency transportation

Valley Metro and RADAR

Valley Metro and RADAR publish current fixed-route, regional, and paratransit information. Confirm route, fare, eligibility, reservation, and accessibility details before relying on a trip.

School, family, student-support, enrollment, transportation, health, and community-resource pathway - Roanoke city; school-specific eligibility and schedules apply; not emergency response or a cleanup provider

Roanoke City Public Schools

Roanoke City Public Schools provides enrollment, family, student-support, health, transportation, and community-resource information. Use its current central-office and family-resource contacts for routing.

Free appropriate public education, evaluation, IEP, and student-support pathway for eligible ages 2-21 - Roanoke city; evaluation, eligibility, procedural, and school-capacity rules apply

Roanoke City Public Schools Special Education

Roanoke City Public Schools describes special-education services for eligible children and young adults ages 2-21, including evaluation and IEP pathways. Contact the division to confirm current family procedures.

Public-library pathway for internet, information, learning, technology, and community navigation - Roanoke Valley; confirm current hours, programs, accessibility, and technology access; not emergency response

Roanoke Valley Libraries

The Roanoke Valley library system provides local access to information, internet, technology, learning, and community programs. Confirm current branch hours, accessibility, and program details directly.

City water, sewer, stormwater, utility-billing, and service-navigation pathway - Roanoke city; account, billing, deposit, payment, outage, and service rules apply; not emergency dispatch

City of Roanoke Utilities

Roanoke's utility information covers water, sewer, stormwater, electric and gas contacts, and related city services. Confirm account, payment, outage, and service instructions directly.

City trash, recycling, bulk, brush, and household solid-waste pathway - Roanoke city; collection schedules, accepted materials, quantity, trip, and fee rules apply; not a cleanup provider

Roanoke Solid Waste Management

Roanoke Solid Waste Management publishes weekly trash, recycling, bulk, and brush information and connects residents to transfer-station options. Confirm schedules, accepted materials, and disposal limits before moving items.

Regional transfer-station, landfill, recycling, and disposal pathway - Roanoke Valley; accepted materials, vehicle, household, trip, fee, and safety rules apply; not a cleanup provider

Roanoke Valley Resource Authority

The regional Resource Authority operates transfer-station and disposal pathways. Roanoke residents should confirm current free-trip rules, accepted materials, hours, and fees directly before hauling.

State job matching, training, wage, veteran, and employment-navigation pathway - Virginia, including Roanoke; account, eligibility, employer, and program rules apply; not emergency dispatch

Virginia Workforce Connection

Virginia Works and the Virginia Workforce Connection provide job, training, wage, and employment-navigation information. Confirm the closest workforce center and eligibility for specific programs.

Veteran and family benefits, behavioral-health, housing, employment, transportation, and financial-assistance navigation - Virginia, including Roanoke; veteran/family eligibility and program-capacity rules apply; not emergency dispatch

Virginia Department of Veterans Services

Virginia's Department of Veterans Services can help veterans and families identify benefits and service pathways. Confirm current regional contacts, eligibility, and appointment requirements.

State affordable-housing, rental, homeownership, and housing-finance information pathway - Virginia, including Roanoke; property, income, lender, waitlist, and program rules apply; no emergency-housing guarantee

Virginia Housing

Virginia Housing provides statewide information about affordable rental and homeownership pathways. Confirm property availability, waitlists, income rules, accessibility, and application requirements directly.

Rural housing, home-repair, rental, and community-development information pathway - eligible rural households near Roanoke; income, property, loan, grant, and program rules apply; no emergency-housing guarantee

USDA Rural Development - Virginia

USDA Rural Development can help eligible rural households learn about housing, repair, and community-development programs. Confirm local office contacts, property eligibility, funding, and applications.

Medicaid transportation-benefit information pathway - Virginia, including Roanoke; Medicaid enrollment, covered-trip, advance-notice, scheduling, and medical-necessity rules apply; not emergency transport

Virginia Medicaid Transportation

Virginia Medicaid members can review transportation-benefit information for eligible covered trips. Confirm eligibility, advance notice, scheduling, and emergency limits with the current program.

Family and consumer education, 4-H, agriculture, and community-resource pathway - Roanoke Valley; program availability, eligibility, and schedules vary; not emergency response or clinical care

Virginia Cooperative Extension - Roanoke Valley

Virginia Cooperative Extension connects Roanoke Valley residents with Virginia Tech and Virginia State University programs in family and consumer sciences, 4-H, agriculture, and community viability. Confirm current office contacts and classes.

Official court and clerk information for Roanoke; use for court location, filing, records, and procedural navigation; not legal advice or emergency response

Roanoke Circuit Court and Clerk Information

Virginia's Roanoke Circuit Court publishes current court, clerk, address, and contact information. Confirm the correct court, filing process, accessibility, fees, and whether legal advice is needed.

Building, permits, inspections, property-safety, and code-navigation pathway - Roanoke city; property, inspection, permit, notice, and enforcement rules apply; not emergency response

City of Roanoke Building and Code Services

Use the city's building and code channels for permits, inspections, property-safety, and code questions. Confirm the correct department and current process rather than assuming a code concern is an emergency.

Neighborhood, property-maintenance, community-development, and resident-navigation pathway - Roanoke city; complaint, jurisdiction, inspection, and enforcement rules apply; not emergency response

Roanoke City Neighborhood Services

Roanoke Neighborhood Services can route residents to city neighborhood and property-maintenance information. Confirm the current department and response process for the specific concern.

State directory and referral-navigation pathway for community supports - Virginia, including Roanoke; listed organizations have their own eligibility, cost, hours, and capacity rules; not emergency dispatch

Virginia Support Resources Directory

Virginia's support directories can help identify statewide and local service pathways. Verify the organization, current contact information, geographic fit, and eligibility before relying on a listing.

A note from the Alliance

Start with the person. Then decide what the situation needs.

This guide is anchored in Roanoke, Virginia, 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