A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide

Hoarding support in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

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 Lackawanna County.

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 Scranton, Lackawanna County, 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 behavioral-health crisis support, call or text 988. For local crisis care, call 570-245-0579 to reach Scranton Counseling Center's crisis receiving and stabilization unit.

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.

Free, confidential, 24/7 mental-health and substance-use crisis support - Pennsylvania; call, text, or chat, with connections to county resources when appropriate

Pennsylvania 988

Pennsylvania's 988 system provides free and confidential support for people in distress, suicidal crisis, mental-health crisis, substance-use crisis, or concern about a loved one. Call or text 988 first when the situation is a behavioral-health crisis. It is not a cleanup provider and does not replace 911 for immediate danger.

24/7 behavioral-health crisis line, walk-in crisis receiving and stabilization, case management, and ongoing care - Lackawanna and Susquehanna Counties; age, assessment, payment, and service rules apply

Scranton Counseling Center

Scranton Counseling Center describes a 24/7 Crisis Receiving and Stabilization Unit for adults 18 and older who are out of high school and experiencing mental-health or behavioral crisis. No appointment is needed for the CRSU. Call first or review the current instructions; this is qualified care, not a cleanup service.

Free, confidential health and human-services navigation - Scranton, Lackawanna County, and Pennsylvania; referral, program, and capacity rules apply

PA 211

Pennsylvania 211 connects people with food, housing, utilities, employment, health care, and other human services. Use it when you are unsure which agency fits. It is not a guaranteed placement, funding source, cleanup provider, or emergency-dispatch substitute.

Qualified-care and support search - national directory with Pennsylvania and telehealth possibilities; providers self-report, payment and licensure rules apply

IOCDF Hoarding Resource Directory

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.

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 protective services, crisis response, domestic-violence advocacy, municipal code, aging and disability services, or emergency dispatch.

Immediate danger and emergency dispatch - Scranton and Lackawanna County; use for fire, medical emergency, violence, or immediate threat

911 Emergency Services

Call 911 when there is immediate danger, fire, a medical emergency, violence, or a threat that cannot wait for a scheduled service. Emergency dispatch is not a hoarding-support program, counseling service, or cleanup provider.

24/7 crisis line and crisis receiving and stabilization unit - Lackawanna and Susquehanna Counties; adults 18 and older who are out of high school, assessment, and service rules apply

Scranton Counseling Center Crisis Services

The Center lists 24/7 crisis help and a walk-in CRSU with assessment, short-term stabilization, and connection to ongoing care. Call the crisis line or follow the current walk-in instructions. This is not a general home visit, cleanup service, or substitute for 911 when there is immediate danger.

Adult-protection, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and abandonment reporting pathway - Pennsylvania; age, disability, reporting, and investigation rules apply

Pennsylvania Adult Protective Services

Pennsylvania's statewide elder-abuse helpline accepts reports 24/7. The APS program also protects adults ages 18 to 59 with a physical or mental disability that limits major life activities. Call the helpline for a report, and call 911 for immediate danger. APS is not a general clutter-removal or cleanup service.

Older-adult protective services, investigation, safety planning, and aging-support pathway - Lackawanna County; older-adult, reporting, consent, and investigation rules apply

Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging Protective Services

The Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging describes protective-services reporting and investigation for suspected elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation, including help securing a safe environment. Use its county contact or the statewide helpline for a report. It is not a general cleanup provider and does not replace 911 for immediate danger.

24/7 domestic-violence and sexual-assault crisis line, emergency shelter, advocacy, and safety-planning pathway - Lackawanna and surrounding counties; confidential intake and capacity rules apply

Women's Resource Center

The Women's Resource Center protects, shelters, and empowers people affected by domestic and sexual violence. Its crisis line is available 24/7 and its services include emergency shelter and support. Use a safer way to contact the organization, and call 911 if you are in immediate danger. It is not general hoarding support or a guaranteed shelter placement.

Municipal building, property-maintenance, rental, and quality-of-life reporting pathway - Scranton city limits; jurisdiction, notice, inspection, and compliance rules apply

Scranton Bureau of Code Enforcement

Scranton's Bureau of Code Enforcement enforces building and property codes and accepts quality-of-life concerns. Ask about jurisdiction, accommodations, notice, inspection, and compliance timelines before filing or responding to a complaint. It is not therapy, crisis care, or cleanup assistance.

People and practical help

Housing, shelter, food, legal help, disposal, and ongoing support

These listings offer connections for care, housing, shelter, food, benefits, legal support, aging and disability navigation, disposal, organizing, or peer support. They are independent organizations; ask about current availability, cost, scope, consent, and safety before relying on them.

Public housing, Housing Choice Voucher, affordable-housing, and housing-quality pathway - Scranton; income, documentation, waiting-list, and program rules apply

Scranton Housing Authority

The Scranton Housing Authority describes public housing and Housing Choice Voucher assistance for eligible low-income individuals and families, older adults, and people with disabilities. Ask about current applications, waiting lists, preferences, reasonable accommodations, and unit requirements. Housing assistance does not include cleanup by itself and a voucher is not a guarantee of immediate housing.

Homelessness, mental-health, substance-use, outreach, and housing-stability pathway - Scranton; intake, hours, capacity, and program rules apply

Community Intervention Center

The Community Intervention Center serves people experiencing homelessness, mental-health challenges, substance-use disorders, and housing instability. It lists daily hours and local service connections. Call or visit as directed to confirm current intake and capacity; it is not a guaranteed housing placement or cleanup service.

Food, clothing, utility-crisis, emergency assistance, case management, and homelessness-continuum pathway - Scranton and Lackawanna County; household, referral, and capacity rules apply

United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania

UNC NEPA provides help with food insecurity, utility crises, clothing, and other basic needs, and is the lead agency for the Scranton/Lackawanna County Continuum of Care. Its Community Services department accepts calls for emergency assistance with rent, housing, food, or utilities. Confirm current eligibility and availability directly.

Aging and disability information, assessments, home and community services, transportation, meals, and protective-services navigation - Lackawanna County; age, disability, benefit, and program rules apply

Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging

The county Area Agency on Aging connects older adults to assessments, information and assistance, transportation, meals, home support, case management, legal and protective-services pathways, and other community supports. Ask what matches the person's age, health, housing, and immediate needs. This is planned navigation and care coordination, not emergency dispatch or cleanup.

Official current directory for food, housing, utilities, legal assistance, benefits, health, and practical pathways - Scranton and Lackawanna County; details and availability must be confirmed

City of Scranton Local Resource Guide

The City's 2026 resource guide gathers local contacts for food pantries, housing and utility assistance, legal services, public benefits, health, and other support. Use it as a map, then confirm each program directly because hours, eligibility, capacity, and contact details can change.

Free civil legal aid for eligible low-income residents - Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania; issue, income, intake, and priority rules apply

North Penn Legal Services

North Penn Legal Services identifies a Scranton office serving low-income individuals and families with civil legal needs, including housing, eviction, family, and consumer matters. Ask whether the current situation fits its service area and intake rules. Legal aid is not a cleanup provider or emergency dispatch.

Free civil legal services for eligible low-income residents - Lackawanna County; issue, income, volunteer, and intake rules apply

Lackawanna Pro Bono

Lackawanna Pro Bono connects eligible low-income clients with volunteer attorneys for civil matters such as housing, eviction, landlord-tenant disputes, protection from abuse, consumer problems, unemployment, SSI, and senior wills or powers of attorney. Confirm current intake and scope. It does not handle every legal issue and is not an emergency service.

City trash, recycling, bulk-pickup information, and disposal education - Scranton city residents; collection, item, scheduling, and service rules apply

Scranton Bureau of Refuse and Recycling

The City's Bureau of Refuse and Recycling oversees trash collection, recycling, and public information about proper disposal, including bulk-pickup questions handled through Public Works. Confirm the current calendar, accepted items, and pickup instructions. This is a disposal pathway, not a cleanup, sorting, or moving service.

Online community-resource referral tool for food, shelter, transportation, utilities, and basic needs - Pennsylvania; referral and provider capacity rules apply

PA Navigate

PA Navigate connects Pennsylvanians with community organizations, county and state agencies, and health-care providers for referrals to food, shelter, transportation, and other basic needs. Use it to identify options, then confirm intake, eligibility, and current capacity directly. It is not emergency dispatch or a funding guarantee.

Private-pay hoarding support, organizing help, groups, and family guidance - broader service area; scope, cost, scheduling, travel, and consent rules apply

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 requested support is available in Scranton or Lackawanna County.

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.

A note from the Alliance

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

This guide is anchored in Scranton, the county seat of Lackawanna County, and includes city, countywide, statewide, national, nonprofit, 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