A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide
Start with a respectful next step in Savannah or elsewhere in Chatham County. This guide connects people, families, supporters, and local systems with practical pathways while keeping emergencies and clinical care in the right lane.
Start here - Fight the Blight
You do not have to solve everything at once. Start with the pathway that fits the situation, then confirm current availability, eligibility, cost, and safety requirements directly with the organization.
If there is immediate danger, fire, a medical emergency, or an active threat, call 911. For emotional or behavioral-health crisis support in Georgia, call or text 988 or call the Georgia Crisis & Access Line at 1-800-715-4225.
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.
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 Chatham County.
Unburied, from The Peer Tree, offers a judgment-free digital pathway with peer support, groups, and tools for people directly affected and for friends, family, property managers, municipal workers, and other supporters. It is not therapy, a crisis service, or a substitute for emergency help.
211 connects people with local resource navigators for basic needs and community support. Ask which current Chatham County resource fits the situation and what documentation or service-area rules apply; call 911 for immediate danger.
The Georgia Coastal Health District lists Chatham County clinics in Savannah. Confirm current clinic, WIC, environmental-health, vital-records, hours, fees, eligibility, and appointment needs before traveling; call 911 for emergencies.
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 when someone is in immediate danger, a fire or medical emergency is happening, violence is occurring, or emergency responders are needed. A hoarding or housing concern that is not immediately dangerous may need a planned city, county, housing, or support response instead.
Call or text 988 for emotional distress, suicidal thoughts, or a behavioral-health crisis. If there is immediate physical danger, fire, a medical emergency, or an active threat, call 911 instead.
GCAL can provide telephone intervention, help identify state-funded or other behavioral-health services, dispatch mobile crisis, and help locate an open crisis or detox bed. Call 911 for immediate physical danger or an emergency requiring police, fire, or EMS.
Savannah 311 is the city's one-stop route for information and service requests such as sanitation, code compliance, building permits, utilities, and public works. Use 911 for immediate danger, fire, medical emergency, or active threat.
The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department is the law-enforcement pathway for Savannah and Chatham County. Use 911 for an emergency or crime in progress and the official routine contact for an appropriate non-emergency report or question.
Savannah Fire Rescue publishes fire, rescue, emergency medical, prevention, and technical-rescue services. Call 911 for an active fire, rescue need, medical emergency, or immediate danger; use routine contacts for planning or prevention questions.
CEMA publishes preparedness, hurricane, alert, shelter, food-and-water safety, and recovery information for Chatham County. Use it for planning and disaster-recovery questions, not as a replacement for 911. Confirm current alerts and shelter instructions during an event.
Georgia APS receives reports involving older adults and adults with disabilities who may be abused, neglected, or exploited. Use the statewide intake route; APS is not emergency dispatch and does not guarantee cleanup, housing, or a particular outcome.
Use Georgia's CPS central-intake route when there is a concern about child abuse or neglect. This is a reporting and assessment pathway, not emergency response; call 911 for immediate danger.
Georgia's statewide domestic-violence hotline can help survivors and supporters identify safety-planning, advocacy, and shelter options. Ask about current services serving Chatham County; it is not general emergency dispatch.
The Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless identifies Safe Shelter as a confidential domestic-violence support pathway. Confirm current intake, safety planning, location, accessibility, transportation, and availability before traveling; call 911 for immediate danger.
The Georgia Poison Center publishes a 24/7 helpline for possible poison exposures involving medicines, products, plants, or other substances. Call 911 for collapse, breathing difficulty, seizure, fire, or another immediate emergency.
St. Joseph's/Candler publishes full-service emergency care 24/7 at St. Joseph's Hospital and Candler Hospital in Savannah. Confirm the appropriate campus, coverage, transportation, and payment requirements; call 911 for a life-threatening emergency.
Memorial Health publishes Parker's Emergency & Trauma Center with 24/7 emergency care in Savannah. Confirm the appropriate department, coverage, transportation, and payment requirements; call 911 for a life-threatening emergency.
Georgia DBHDD lists Gateway Behavioral Health Services as serving Chatham County and the Gateway Crisis Stabilization Unit in nearby Brunswick. Confirm current intake, eligibility, transportation, and capacity; use 988 or GCAL for behavioral-health crisis navigation.
Use Georgia Power's current outage and safety channels for an outage or utility hazard. Stay away from downed lines and call 911 for fire, electrocution, a gas-related danger, or another immediate emergency.
Georgia 811 helps locate underground utility lines before excavation or digging. Request a locate early, follow the marking and wait-period rules, and call 911 for fire, electrocution, gas danger, or another immediate emergency.
The American Red Cross provides disaster-preparedness information and may offer response or recovery assistance after qualifying events. Confirm current local operations, shelter information, and eligibility; it is not emergency dispatch.
FEMA's DisasterAssistance.gov portal explains how to check eligibility and apply after a qualifying declared disaster. An application is not a guarantee of aid; confirm deadlines, documentation, and the applicable declaration.
People and practical help
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.
The City of Savannah publishes municipal departments, utilities, code compliance, planning, community development, fire, police, public works, solid waste, and resident resources. Confirm whether an address is within city limits before submitting a request.
Chatham County's official site publishes departments, public notices, planning, building safety, public works, emergency management, health, animal services, taxes, courts, and local-service navigation. Confirm the responsible office and current hours before traveling or filing a request.
The county department-contacts page provides current phone numbers and addresses for local offices. Use it to route a question to the responsible department and confirm hours, service area, documents, and appointment needs.
Savannah Code Compliance publishes information about property maintenance, sanitation, zoning, overgrown lots, debris, derelict vehicles, unsafe structures, and unsecured properties. The department emphasizes education and voluntary compliance when possible; ask about the address-specific process and timelines.
Savannah's Solid Waste Department publishes residential refuse, recycling, yard and bulk waste, street cleaning, disposal, and community-education services. Confirm current collection schedules, fees, accepted materials, special-collection requirements, and safe handling before using a service.
Savannah publishes water-resources and utility contacts through its city resources and directory. Confirm whether the address is served by the city and ask about current billing, service, repair, stormwater, and payment-arrangement options.
The City of Savannah publishes planning and zoning information for development, land use, and permits. Confirm whether the property is in city or county jurisdiction and ask what applications, inspections, flood information, or fees apply before making changes.
Chatham County lists Building Safety and Regulatory Services for building and property-regulation questions. Confirm whether the address is in county or city jurisdiction and ask about current permits, inspections, documents, and fees.
Chatham County Animal Services publishes local adoption, lost-and-found, pet-registration, complaint, and shelter information. Confirm current hours, fees, paperwork, capacity, and safe transport; call 911 for an active animal attack or immediate human danger.
Chatham Area Transit publishes fixed-route, paratransit, and ferry services for Savannah and Chatham County. Confirm current routes, fares, reservation lead time, accessibility, eligibility, and whether service reaches the destination before relying on a trip.
The Coastal Health District lists Eisenhower and Midtown clinics in Savannah, plus environmental health, vital records, and Chatham CARE Center services. Confirm the current location, appointment or walk-in rule, fees, eligibility, accessibility, and required documents before traveling.
Georgia DFCS lists the Chatham County office in Savannah and identifies routes for Food Stamps, Medicaid, TANF, and child-protection questions. Confirm current office hours, appointments, required documents, and eligibility before traveling.
Georgia Gateway is the state's online portal for applying for and managing several public benefits. Confirm current program rules, identity verification, renewal deadlines, and document requirements; use the DFCS office when in-person help is needed.
EOA publishes services for Savannah-Chatham County including low-income energy assistance and community programs. Confirm current program openings, service area, income and household rules, required documents, and appointment availability before relying on assistance.
Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia publishes food-distribution and partner-agency information for coastal communities. Confirm the current pantry or mobile-food location, schedule, household rules, accessibility, and availability before traveling.
Family Promise publishes shelter and diversion services for families with children, while its current program page notes that prevention funding may not be available for City of Savannah or Chatham County residents. Confirm current funding, eligibility, safe contact options, and availability before applying or traveling.
CSAH leads the local homelessness Continuum of Care and publishes access-center, outreach, shelter, food, shower, transportation, and housing-navigation information. Confirm current hours, safe access, eligibility, and capacity; call 911 for immediate danger.
CSAH lists Union Mission day-center access and shelter or supportive-housing pathways for people experiencing homelessness. Confirm current hours, population served, intake, transportation, accessibility, and capacity directly through the coordinated resource page before traveling.
CSAH lists The Salvation Army as a Savannah emergency-shelter and basic-needs pathway. Confirm current shelter availability, intake, population served, meals, transportation, and safety requirements directly before traveling.
CSAH lists Emmaus House as a Savannah breakfast, laundry, shower, and basic-needs pathway. Confirm current hours, service limits, accessibility, and whether an appointment or identification is required before traveling.
CSAH lists Savannah Baptist Center as a meal, laundry, clothing, shower, and bus-pass pathway for people in need. Confirm current hours, eligibility, capacity, and service details directly before traveling.
CSAH lists Old Savannah City Mission as an emergency and transitional shelter pathway with meals. Confirm current intake, population served, hours, availability, accessibility, and transportation before traveling.
Georgia Housing Search helps people look for rental housing and related availability. Confirm current listings, accessibility, screening, deposits, application requirements, and whether a unit is actually available before relying on a listing.
The Housing Authority of Savannah publishes public-housing and voucher information for eligible households. Confirm current waitlist status, application steps, income and household rules, accessibility, and required documents before relying on assistance.
Georgia DCA publishes housing and community-development programs that may include rental, repair, or stabilization pathways. Confirm current openings, service area, income rules, documentation, and whether funds or waitlists are available.
HUD's housing-counseling and shelter resources can help identify local and regional housing, shelter, and supportive-service options. Confirm current availability and intake directly with the provider; call 911 for immediate danger.
Georgia Legal Services provides civil legal information and may assist eligible residents with housing, benefits, consumer, family, and other civil matters. Confirm eligibility, conflicts, intake, and whether the issue is within scope.
The Fair Housing Council of Greater Savannah is a local housing-information pathway for fair-housing questions and discrimination concerns. Confirm current intake, geography, documentation, and whether the issue fits its services.
Georgia's ADRC can help older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, and supporters navigate local and regional services. Ask about Chatham County coverage, eligibility, waitlists, transportation, and in-home or community supports.
Georgia Medicaid publishes non-emergency transportation information for eligible members. Confirm whether the trip and member qualify, how much advance notice is required, and the current regional broker before relying on transportation.
Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation helps eligible people with disabilities explore employment and related supports. Confirm the current regional office, eligibility, intake documents, transportation, and services before traveling.
Georgia DOL publishes employment, unemployment, and workforce-training information. Confirm the current regional office, program rules, appointment needs, and required documents before traveling.
Georgia Veterans Services can help veterans and families navigate benefits and local or regional support. Confirm the current office, service area, eligibility, documents, and appointment requirements before traveling.
Live Oak Public Libraries provide places to use technology, find information, and connect with community programs. Confirm current branch hours, library-card requirements, accessibility, and program availability before traveling.
Chatham County publishes parks and recreation information for residents and visitors. Confirm current schedules, fees, accessibility, registration, and facility rules before attending.
UGA Cooperative Extension provides local education and information pathways for families, nutrition, agriculture, 4-H, and community programs. Confirm current Chatham County offerings and whether an appointment or eligibility rule applies.
Georgia DBHDD explains how to locate behavioral-health and developmental-disability services and directs people in immediate crisis to 988 or 911. Search for Chatham County and confirm the provider's current scope, funding, intake, and availability.
Georgia DBHDD lists Gateway Behavioral Health Services as the community service board serving Chatham County and neighboring coastal counties. Confirm current outpatient, crisis, peer, and referral pathways, funding, eligibility, local access, and wait times.
Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network offers peer-centered mental-health information and support pathways. Confirm current programs, geography, access, and whether a service fits the situation; call 988 or GCAL for a crisis.
GC4Recovery is a Georgia peer-recovery pathway for people seeking substance-use support and recovery resources. Confirm current meetings, coaching, geography, and eligibility; call 911 or 988 for an emergency.
Georgia Access provides official health-coverage information and enrollment pathways. Confirm current enrollment dates, subsidy eligibility, network coverage, and plan rules before choosing care based on coverage assumptions.
The Social Security Administration publishes information about disability, retirement, and SSI programs. Confirm current eligibility, documentation, appeal, and appointment requirements through the official site or SSA contact route.
Georgia 511 provides current travel and road-condition information that may help with appointments, evacuations, and regional services. Recheck before travel because conditions and closures can change quickly.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Savannah, Georgia, 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