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 Tyler or Smith County.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Our virtual groups give people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns a place to connect from Tyler, Smith County, and nearby East Texas communities. We can help you think through 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 Andrews Center's crisis pathway. For food, shelter, housing, utilities, transportation, or benefits navigation, call 211 and confirm local availability.
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.
Andrews Center is the local LMHA/LIDDA for Smith, Henderson, Rains, Van Zandt, and Wood counties. Ask about behavioral-health assessment, IDD services, outpatient care, crisis response, benefits, and the least-restrictive next step; this is not a substitute for 911 in immediate danger.
Smith County provides public-health and emergency-management information and links residents to public-health, fire-marshal, environmental, and on-site sewage pathways. Call to ask which department fits a health or home-environment concern; this is not voluntary in-home cleanup or emergency dispatch.
Tyler Housing and Neighborhood Services administers housing programs and explains current application status and neighborhood resources. The city page says its Housing Choice Voucher waiting list stopped accepting applications after June 26, 2025; confirm current openings and ask about other housing or repair pathways.
PATH offers casework, a food pantry, transitional housing, and utility assistance in Tyler. Ask which program fits, what documents are needed, whether funds are open, and what the current appointment path is; PATH is not emergency dispatch or guaranteed housing.
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 housing or clutter concern that is not immediately dangerous may need a planned county, housing, or support response instead.
Call or text 988 for immediate emotional distress, suicidal thoughts, or a behavioral-health or substance-use crisis. Use 911 for immediate danger, fire, or a serious medical emergency.
Andrews Center lists a 24/7 crisis hotline for people in its service area. Call to ask about crisis assessment, mobile response, or the safest next step; use 911 for an immediate threat or medical emergency.
East Texas Crisis Center provides confidential crisis support, shelter, safety planning, advocacy, counseling, and child programs. Call the 24-hour line to discuss options; call 911 if danger is immediate.
UT Health North Campus Tyler lists a 24/7 emergency department. Go or call for a medical emergency and ask the hospital team about social-work, behavioral-health, or discharge-planning connections; emergency care is not hoarding-specific support.
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital Tyler provides emergency care around the clock. Ask the hospital team about immediate treatment, social work, or referrals; use 911 when transport or emergency dispatch is needed.
Texas APS accepts reports involving abuse, neglect, or exploitation of adults who may be unable to protect themselves. Call 1-800-252-5400 for a report; APS cannot force services, and 911 is the route for immediate danger.
Tyler Code Enforcement handles concerns including junked vehicles, high weeds, illegal dumpsites, trash or junk, zoning, substandard structures, and outdoor storage. Reports may be anonymous; code enforcement is not emergency dispatch or voluntary cleanup.
Smith County's public-health page links residents to public-health, fire-marshal, emergency-management, environmental, and on-site sewage contacts. Call to ask about a safety or sanitation concern and which office has jurisdiction; this is not emergency dispatch or in-home sorting.
Lone Star Legal Aid provides civil legal information and representation for eligible households. Ask about housing, benefits, disability, fair-housing, consumer, or survivor matters and apply before a deadline; legal aid is not emergency dispatch or cleanup.
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.
City housing staff can explain current Housing Choice Voucher status and other housing or neighborhood programs. The city page says the voucher waiting list stopped accepting applications after June 26, 2025; confirm current openings and required documents.
PATH says utility assistance may be available once every 12 months for a past-due bill subject to disconnection. Ask about current funding, account-holder or authorized-user rules, appointment timing, and required documents.
The Salvation Army says its Tyler location is the only shelter in Smith County serving men, women, and families and offers meals, showers, hygiene kits, and a recovery program. Confirm current intake, eligibility, capacity, and length-of-stay rules before traveling.
Tyler Street Team provides outreach for people experiencing homelessness. Call to ask about current outreach, basic-needs, housing-navigation, and referral options; a connection does not guarantee shelter or placement.
The Tyler Resource Center provides food and helps with SNAP, Medicare, Medicaid, TANF, and CHIP applications. The listed pantry schedule and two-visits-per-month limit should be confirmed before traveling; inventory and eligibility can change.
GoBus lists rural service into Tyler on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a $2 one-way fare and $1 for each additional stop; active military and veterans ride free. Call to confirm eligibility, booking lead time, exact route, and accessibility needs.
Tyler Transit provides public transportation information for city riders. Check current routes, hours, fares, accessibility, and transfer details before planning a medical, benefits, food, or housing trip.
Tyler lists two no-charge bulky pickups per year, generally 6-8 cubic yards, with extra collections or larger quantities subject to fees. Ask about prohibited items, tires, brush, placement, and current scheduling; crews do not provide in-home removal.
Tyler provides free self-service recycling drop-off information for residents and the East Texas area. Some materials or disposal services may carry fees and the city lists cash, check, or money-order payment for certain services; confirm what is accepted before loading a vehicle.
Tyler Water Utilities handles water and sewer customer questions. Call to ask about billing, service interruptions, leaks, payment arrangements, or the correct planned response; after-hours concerns use the city's listed emergency number.
Meals on Wheels East Texas delivers meals and explains its registration and service-area process. Ask about current eligibility, wait time, diet needs, and whether a referral or assessment is required; meal delivery is not emergency response.
Tyler Senior Center offers free membership for adults age 55 and older, activities, meals, and connections with the Area Agency on Aging, Andrews Center, PATH, and Meals on Wheels. Confirm current hours, registration, meal availability, and transportation.
The Tyler Centennial VA Clinic provides planned care for eligible veterans, including primary care, mental health, telehealth, specialty, and social-work connections. Ask about enrollment, current hours, benefits, transportation, and housing or behavioral-health support; use 988 and press 1 for a veteran crisis.
East Texas Center for Independent Living offers peer mentoring, information and referral, financial literacy, and transition support for people with disabilities. Ask about the current intake and whether a housing, accessibility, benefits, or independent-living concern fits.
Lone Star Legal Aid may help eligible households with housing, eviction, benefits, disability, fair housing, consumer, and survivor matters. Apply or call before relying on a referral; legal aid is not emergency dispatch or cleanup.
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 Tyler or Smith 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 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 Tyler, Texas, 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