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 Stevens Point and Portage County.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Stevens Point, Portage County, and other Central 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 Portage County crisis services. For shelter, food, and basic-needs navigation, review Wisconsin 211.
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.
Portage County Health and Human Services is the local entry point for mental-health questions, adult protective services, child protective services, benefits, public health, and other county pathways. Ask which division fits the concern and what eligibility, cost, or documentation applies.
Wisconsin DHS lists Portage County's crisis line as 866-317-9362. Call to discuss a behavioral-health or substance-use crisis and ask what response is available; call 911 for immediate physical danger, fire, or a medical emergency.
The Portage County Aging and Disability Resource Center helps older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, families, and supporters understand benefits, long-term care, housing, transportation, nutrition, and support options. Public-funding eligibility is assessed separately.
NAMI Portage-Wood Counties is the local National Alliance on Mental Illness affiliate. Ask about current peer, family, education, and support options, including statewide or virtual programs when a local meeting is not available.
CAP Services' Family Crisis Center provides 24-hour telephone and walk-in crisis support, emergency shelter, safety planning, advocacy, and referrals for people affected by domestic or sexual violence and youth crisis. It is not a hoarding cleanup or general housing-placement service.
The City of Stevens Point's current community resource guide identifies Ministry Behavioral Health as a local mental-health resource. Ask about current services, appointment access, insurance or payment, and whether the concern belongs in outpatient, crisis, or another pathway.
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 licensure, fees, insurance, wait time, privacy, and whether home-based or telehealth work fits.
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 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.
Wisconsin DHS lists 866-317-9362 for Portage County crisis services. County crisis operators can help with problem-solving and determining whether a person can remain safely in the community; call 911 for immediate danger.
Portage County Health and Human Services lists adult protective services through its department phone prompts. A clutter or fire concern may require a broader safety plan; it is not by itself proof of abuse. Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency.
Wisconsin DHS explains how to report suspected abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or financial exploitation to the county where the adult at risk lives. Use Portage County's local route for county follow-up and ask about emergency options.
Portage County Health and Human Services lists child protective services through its department intake prompts. Call 911 when a child faces immediate danger and ask the county which report route fits the concern.
CAP Services offers a 24-hour hotline and walk-in response, emergency shelter, safety planning, restraining-order assistance, advocacy, and referrals. Ask about confidential contact and safety planning; call 911 for immediate danger.
The City of Stevens Point's current community resource guide identifies Evergreen Community Initiative as a local shelter resource. Confirm current opening, intake, household rules, accessibility, belongings policy, and whether another route is more appropriate before traveling.
The City resource guide identifies the Salvation Army Hope Center as a housing and financial-assistance pathway. Ask about current shelter or housing-stability options, food, utility help, documentation, and household rules; this is not a guarantee of placement.
The Stevens Point Housing Authority provides public housing and subsidized rent for eligible low- and moderate-income households. The City notes that waitlists vary and can be lengthy; confirm current openings, documentation, accommodations, and application steps directly.
The City resource guide lists One Big Tent as a local housing and basic-needs resource with scheduled service hours. Confirm current hours, eligibility, documents, and whether the current need is housing navigation, emergency help, or another service.
For a non-emergency public-safety question or to ask which local response fits, the City of Stevens Point lists the police department at 715-346-1500. Do not use a non-emergency line for an active fire, medical emergency, violence, or immediate threat.
People and practical help
These listings connect Stevens Point and Portage 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.
Portage County's eligibility office helps residents apply for FoodShare, BadgerCare Plus, Medicaid, and related benefits. Ask about online applications, required documents, language access, disability accommodations, and current intake hours.
FoodShare is Wisconsin's SNAP program and can help eligible households buy food. Apply through ACCESS or the county route, complete the required interview, and ask about language or disability accommodations if needed.
CAP Services offers housing and transportation programs in Portage County, including housing-repair pathways that assess the home and income eligibility before work is approved. Ask about current funding, documents, county scope, and whether a safety or utility issue is urgent.
The City of Stevens Point's current community resource guide lists Operation Bootstrap at 5000 Heffron Street as a local food resource. Confirm current hours, registration, household limits, identification, accessibility, and whether appointments are needed.
The City guide lists Interfaith Food Pantry in Plover with scheduled distribution times. Confirm current dates, registration, household limits, identification, accessibility, and whether a Stevens Point resident can use the pantry before traveling.
The City resource guide lists Place of Peace as a food-support option requiring advance notice or arrival during a community meal. Confirm current hours, eligibility, dietary needs, accessibility, and whether advance notice is required.
The City resource guide lists the Salvation Army for food, meals, and emergency assistance. Ask about current food distribution, meals, utility help, seasonal programs, documentation, and household rules.
Wisconsin Housing Search helps residents look for available rental housing and housing resources. Listings do not guarantee that a unit is open, affordable, accessible, or a fit, so confirm directly and ask about reasonable accommodations.
Portage County and Stevens Point transportation services are consolidated through Central Transportation. The county lists discounted rural rides, free grocery rides for qualified riders, volunteer medical rides, nutrition trips, taxi options, and Point Plus paratransit; call ahead to confirm eligibility and reservations.
Point Plus is limited to eligible people with disabilities who cannot use the fixed-route bus system for some or all trips. The service area and advance reservation rules apply, and this is planned transportation rather than emergency transport.
The Portage County ADRC Nutrition Program offers senior dining and home-delivered meals to support nutrition, independence, and social connection. Eligible participants are not denied based on ability to contribute; call for registration, meal sites, and delivery details.
Midstate Independent Living Choices is a publicly supported nonprofit identified in local resource materials for people with disabilities. Ask about independent-living skills, advocacy, assistive technology, housing, transportation, and other supports.
Portage County Health and Human Services includes public-health services and can help route questions about prevention, community health, and related county programs. Ask which service fits and whether the concern requires a clinical, housing, or emergency pathway.
Legal Action of Wisconsin may help eligible residents with eviction, housing conditions, utilities, public benefits, and related civil issues. Use its intake process to confirm whether the concern fits current service-area and priority rules.
NAMI Portage-Wood Counties can help identify current support groups, education, and family resources. Ask about local and virtual options and confirm that a group is a fit before relying on it for ongoing support.
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 Stevens Point or across 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 Stevens Point, 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