A Hoarding Alliance local resource guide
You do not have to figure everything out at once. Start with the kind of support that feels useful, and call ahead to confirm each service’s reach, cost, and availability.
Start here - Fight the Blight
Fight the Blight is the nonprofit front door and offers virtual peer-support groups; ask about current fit and capacity from Welch or elsewhere. The Peer Tree is a separate private-pay pathway; confirm scope, service area, availability, travel, and fees. Unburied is digital peer support, not therapy or emergency support. These listings are independent options, not endorsements. Confirm access, eligibility, cost, and fit directly.
For immediate danger, fire, rescue, or urgent medical response, call 911. For emotional distress or a behavioral-health crisis, call or text 988 or contact Southern Highlands’ 24-hour crisis line. For confidential domestic-violence support, call SAFE. A cluttered home, by itself, does not establish abuse or neglect. West Virginia 211 can offer current referrals, but a referral does not guarantee assistance, a bed, or placement.
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.
A separate private-pay pathway for hoarding-related support. Ask directly about scope, location, availability, travel, and current fees before making plans. This is distinct from Fight the Blight’s nonprofit programming and is not emergency care.
Unburied is a digital peer-support pathway for people affected by hoarding and clutter concerns and for friends and family. It supports connection and ongoing peer support, not therapy, emergency response, or local case management.
Call 211 or 1-833-848-9905, or text a ZIP code to 898-211, for current food, housing, utility, health, and transportation referrals. A referral does not guarantee assistance or placement and is not emergency dispatch.
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 immediate danger, fire, rescue, or urgent medical response. If it is safe, explain access, mobility, or communication needs.
The City lists the Welch Police Department at 304-436-3113. This is not a substitute for 911 and is not a hoarding cleanup or housing referral.
The West Virginia health-facilities office lists a 24-hour, physician-staffed emergency department at Welch Community Hospital. Call 911 for an ambulance or immediate life-threatening emergency; call the hospital to confirm non-emergency service details.
Call or text 988, or use online chat, to connect with a crisis counselor. It is a crisis-support service, not local dispatch or a guaranteed in-person response.
Southern Highlands lists a 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-615-0122. Calling supports assessment and next-step planning; it does not promise dispatch, admission, or a particular service.
Call or text 1-844-435-7498, or use online chat, for behavioral-health or substance-use support and referrals. Ask about current service options; call 911 for immediate physical danger.
SAFE (Stop Abusive Family Environments) lists a confidential 24-hour hotline and survivor services in Welch. Call to discuss options; the shelter address is intentionally not published. Use a safer device if calls or browsing may be monitored.
The state lists a 24/7 intake line at 1-800-352-6513. Use it for a specific concern about suspected abuse or neglect. Clutter alone, without a separate safety concern, does not establish abuse or neglect.
Call 1-800-222-1222 for poison-exposure guidance. If someone is unconscious, having a seizure, or in immediate danger, call 911.
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 state lists the McDowell County office at 840 Virginia Avenue in Welch and describes benefits and human-services programs, including Medicaid, SNAP, WVCHIP, utility assistance, and other supports. Call to confirm the right program, current hours, and documents before visiting.
Review or apply for Medicaid, SNAP, and other available assistance through the state portal. Submission is not approval; contact DoHS if you need help with documents or application status.
Southern Highlands lists outpatient services in Welch, including behavioral-health care, medication management, and substance-use counseling. Call about the service needed, new-patient capacity, insurance, accessibility, and current charges. For a crisis, use its 24-hour line or 988.
The Commission lists assisted rides for medical appointments, groceries, pharmacies, senior centers, and other local trips, including ADA vans. Call to confirm service area, eligibility, scheduling, accessibility, and any fee before relying on a ride.
The Commission describes homemaker, personal-care, respite, and meal programs. Call to ask about eligibility, Welch coverage, current availability, any fees, and whether a waitlist applies; the website does not guarantee a service opening.
The Commission on Aging describes Lighthouse home care for people age 60 and older who meet medical eligibility. Call to ask about the assessment, current fee scale, service area, and waitlist before planning around assistance.
The Council lists an emergency food pantry, utility help for qualifying low-income households, and an emergency heating repair/replacement program. The pantry page describes assistance up to once every three months. Call about current requirements, funding, and availability before traveling.
F.A.C.E.S. describes itself as the county Family Resource Network and an information clearinghouse. It can help identify current community pathways; confirm each partner’s service, eligibility, and availability directly.
The state says eligible members may arrange non-ambulance rides to covered appointments through Modivcare. Confirm the trip, booking notice, accessibility, and current contact options before relying on a ride.
HUD’s state page links to housing resources and public-housing contacts. Ask each provider about current applications, openings, accessibility, and waitlists; this listing does not promise a unit or funding.
Use HUD’s locator or phone line to ask about rental or home-retention counseling, fees, accessibility, language access, and appointments serving McDowell County.
The state describes its homelessness programs and referral pathways. For a same-day local referral, ask 211 about current access; confirm availability and eligibility directly with each provider.
Legal Aid of West Virginia accepts applications for eligible civil matters by phone or online. The organization says its legal services are free, though some court filing fees may apply. If you have an imminent court deadline, call promptly; do not wait for an online reply.
West Virginia Senior Legal Aid says it serves West Virginia residents age 60 and older with civil legal concerns. Call or leave a message before visiting; the organization says it does not accept walk-ins.
The West Virginia Library Commission lists the Welch library at 90 Howard Street, phone 304-436-3070. Call ahead to confirm current opening hours, accessibility, library-card requirements, and public-computer or printing access.
WVU Extension lists county programs in 4-H, agriculture and natural resources, food and nutrition, health and wellness, financial planning, and home gardening. The published office is in War; call to ask what is available in Welch or remotely before traveling.
The City lists water and sewer, sanitation, Welch Gas Cooperative, and Appalachian Power as local service pathways. Use the City’s current directory to confirm the right contact and ask each provider about service-area fit, billing, assistance, and current requirements.
The City’s service directory lists Welch Water and Sewer at 304-436-4127. Call to confirm whether an address is served, current billing or payment options, and how to report a utility issue.
The City directory lists Welch Gas Cooperative at 304-436-3295. Confirm service-area coverage and current account requirements directly; do not assume a property has gas service or that a listed number handles emergencies.
The City identifies Appalachian Power as an electric utility serving Welch. Call to confirm the account or outage process, current payment-assistance options, and service-area fit.
The County Commission directory lists Solid Waste Authority at 304-436-6608. Call before loading or transporting items to ask what is currently accepted, where service is available, and any fees or hours. No special cleanout service is implied.
The County Commission directory lists Copper Ridge Landfill at 304-436-6174. Call to verify its current operating status, address, hours, accepted items, and fees before making a trip.
A note from the Alliance
This guide is anchored in Welch, West Virginia, 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