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 Mercer County.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Trenton, Mercer County, 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 or contact Capital Health’s Mercer County psychiatric emergency screening center at 609-396-4357.
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.
Mercer County’s Department of Human Services coordinates a broad system of community resources and directs residents to agencies that provide direct services. Ask for the right entry point when a concern involves health, safety, housing, aging, disability, food, or homelessness; the department does not promise a specific service or immediate response.
The Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission is a nonprofit system partner serving mental-health, substance-use, intellectual-disability, and early-intervention needs. Its case-management description includes needs assessment, service planning, linkage to community supports, and service coordination. Ask about current intake, eligibility, and whether the person’s goals fit the available service.
Mercer County’s ADRC is a doorway for older adults, adults with physical disabilities, family caregivers, and private-pay consumers. It can help identify home and community services, insurance options, housing, transportation, care planning, caregiver support, and nutrition programs. Confirm the right local assessment or referral path.
NJ 211 connects residents with housing, shelter, utilities, food, transportation, and other community resources. Ask for Trenton or Mercer County pathways and confirm eligibility, capacity, hours, and whether a referral is current before relying on it.
NAMI Mercer is a local nonprofit providing education, family support, and information about mental-health resources. It is not a hoarding-specific provider, but it may help a family member or supporter find a respectful next conversation. Ask about current groups, helpline scope, and available referrals.
OCD New Jersey is an IOCDF affiliate that offers education, support, and community connection around OCD and related concerns. It may be useful for some people affected by hoarding or for families looking for informed support; confirm current programs and whether a particular group fits.
The International OCD Foundation directory can help people search for therapists, programs, support groups, organizers, and task forces. Availability, credentials, insurance, fees, and service area can change; use it as a starting point and confirm every detail with the provider.
Safety and stability
These pathways serve different situations. Read the labels carefully before calling, especially when a response may involve protective services, housing screening, or emergency dispatch.
New Jersey’s 988 system provides free, confidential crisis support, and the state says its Mobile Crisis Outreach Response Teams can respond to adults experiencing non-life-threatening mental-health, substance-use, or suicidal crises when a 988 counselor assesses that an in-person response would help. Call 911 for immediate danger, fire, or a medical emergency.
Capital Health identifies itself as Mercer County’s designated regional Emergency Mental Health Services Center and offers 24/7 psychiatric emergency screening at its Trenton location. This pathway is for a mental-health emergency, not routine decluttering or property cleanup. Confirm current location and intake details before traveling.
Mercer County’s Office on Homeless Services funds local programs that may include homelessness prevention, emergency aid, rental or utility assistance, shelter, rapid rehousing, and case management. Use it for a housing crisis or risk of homelessness, and confirm the current access route, documentation, and capacity.
The Trenton Housing Authority builds and maintains affordable housing for Trenton residents and provides an application pathway. Waitlist status, vacancies, program rules, and eligibility can change. Contact the authority directly; this is not a hoarding-specific program or emergency shelter.
New Jersey’s housing-support guidance points residents toward emergency assistance, fair-housing help, housing counseling, community living supports, and county social-services contacts. Use it to identify a possible pathway when housing safety or stability is part of the concern, then confirm the local program directly.
New Jersey Adult Protective Services investigates reports involving adults 18 or older who live in the community and may be experiencing abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or exploitation. This is a protective-services pathway, not a routine cleanup referral; ask what information is needed and what response to expect.
Trenton’s Division of Housing Inspections enforces city housing codes and handles complaints about unsafe or noncompliant residential conditions. Use it for a city property-safety concern, not as a substitute for consent-based support, emergency dispatch, or a clinical response.
New Jersey’s DCAid portal lists current utility, weatherization, and lead-remediation application pathways, including the Universal Service Fund and Home Energy Assistance Program. Funding can be limited or first-come, first-served. Confirm current income rules, documents, and deadlines before applying.
People and practical help
These listings offer connections for care, education, housing, organizing, transportation, or disposal. They are independent organizations; ask about current availability, cost, scope, consent, and safety before relying on them.
Trenton’s current garbage and recycling rules describe ordinary collection, recyclable materials, bundled bulk rubbish, and special pickup arrangements for large items. Confirm the current schedule and accepted materials with the City before setting items outside; city rules and enforcement still apply.
Mercer County TRADE provides transportation for eligible older adults and people with disabilities to medical, therapeutic, nutrition, shopping, and other community destinations. Demand-response rides may need advance scheduling, and mobility assistance should be discussed when reserving.
Mercer County’s Office on Aging helps coordinate services for adults 60 and older and caregivers, including care management, homecare, nutrition, transportation, safe housing, senior mental-health supports, and protective-services connections. Ask which service or screening route fits the situation.
Mercer County’s PASP provides consumer-directed personal assistance for eligible adults with permanent physical disabilities who live independently and can direct their services. It is not a routine organizing or cleaning service, but it may matter when daily living and home safety are becoming difficult.
OCD New Jersey offers community education and support activities for people affected by OCD and related concerns, including families and professionals. It is not a hoarding-specific guarantee or clinical referral. Confirm the current event, group, and accessibility details 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 Trenton or anywhere else. It is not therapy, clinical care, or emergency support.
The National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals Greater Philadelphia Chapter directory can help identify organizers serving New Jersey and nearby communities. A directory entry is not an endorsement. Ask about hoarding-related experience, scope, cost, privacy, consent, pacing, and disposal practices.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Trenton, the county seat of Mercer County, and includes countywide and statewide 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