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Poll: Hoarders


Should local gov. get involved in hoarders' homes?  

  1. 1. Should local gov. get involved in hoarders' homes?

    • No. Never, not under any circumstances.
      11
    • Sometimes. If children are involved.
      121
    • Yes. Every time.
      34
    • Other
      34


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I've been watching Hoarders. I can't stop myself. It's interesting to me that some people have difficulty discarding or donating possessions, even garbage. In several episodes the local government has intervened and sent people to jail for not cleaning up according to local code.

 

Do you feel the local government should get involved in people's homes in that way? Should local codes be changed?

Edited by cdrumm4448
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If they are in violation of a law or an ordinance, yes. Otherwise, no.

 

(Obviously child welfare is covered under laws already.)

 

 

I agree, however I think that local government should also address that this is a mental illness and realize that the person needs help instead of just throwing them in jail or fining them. They recognize other mental illnesses but I think this one is hard to understand since it isn't jusst about material possessions.

 

I saw the one with the man who had all the junked out cars and such and wanted to trade in the metal for money. He had been thrown in jail once. That is not going to help in these situations. These people need help, not bureaucracy.

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Local codes exist to protect neighbors from pest or fire hazards. So, I say yes.

 

:iagree:

 

James Bond is a bit of a hoarder and it is awful. If it weren't for me, he'd be living in a pile of carp because he can't get rid of things. He seriously has to see a shrink about it, it's that bad. It's hard for me to understand the NEED to keep things, but for some reason he does. Unlike many hoarders though, I can get rid of things (when he's not around or he practically hyperventilates), and he doesn't miss them. I can't tell you how much stuff I've taken out while he's gone. It borders on madness.

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I agree, however I think that local government should also address that this is a mental illness and realize that the person needs help instead of just throwing them in jail or fining them. They recognize other mental illnesses but I think this one is hard to understand since it isn't jusst about material possessions.

 

I saw the one with the man who had all the junked out cars and such and wanted to trade in the metal for money. He had been thrown in jail once. That is not going to help in these situations. These people need help, not bureaucracy.

 

:iagree: Still, if I am the owner of the property next to someone who is an extreme hoarder I can care about their well being and still want to preserve my property value. Just think about all the collateral damage to adjacent properties: market value, pests, vermin, quality of life issues like smell......

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:iagree:

 

James Bond is a bit of a hoarder and it is awful. If it weren't for me, he'd be living in a pile of carp because he can't get rid of things. He seriously has to see a shrink about it, it's that bad. It's hard for me to understand the NEED to keep things, but for some reason he does. Unlike many hoarders though, I can get rid of things (when he's not around or he practically hyperventilates), and he doesn't miss them. I can't tell you how much stuff I've taken out while he's gone. It borders on madness.

 

Are we married to the same man? I have told him that he better hope he goes first because otherwise hoarders is his future. I also move out bags of his stuff when he is not around. He is fine with me getting rid of the stuff but he has extreme difficulty doing it himself.

 

As for government involvement, only if the hoarder is in violation of a code or law.

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:001_huh:That show makes me want to get rid of 95% of all we have!!I go from feeling sad for them to just thinking, ok get over it:confused:. I voted yes, if kids are involved or of course ordinance.

:iagree: To some degree, I wonder how much is just habit. Like, "it's too hard to throw this certain thing away, so I won't" and then it makes it that much harder to throw the next thing away. At least that seems to be the case with me, a recovering slob. I grew up with the mentality to "keep it, you might need it later," and it really was difficult to throw/give some things away.

 

However, I acknowledge that that was my own experience and I realize other people could have completely different experiences with Hoarding. No matter what the reason, I do feel sorry for them and wish the best for them. None of the people in these situations like the fact that they hoard and they probably beat themselves up over it. No one deserves to feel that way about themselves. It's sad for everyone involved. The show makes me cry.

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Recently, a hoarded home caught fire in Wichita. The firefighters let the place burn and protected the surrounding buildings/properties, because the fire was so bad it was a danger to them to attempt to fight it.

Hoarded homes are a fire and health hazard for so many reasons. In most cases, a home like that will be violating at least one city/local ordinance, and it's only right that the local govt. step in. Heck, I've come *thisclose* to reporting my MIL's hoarded home to someone, but I'm afraid of the repercussions.

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Recently, a hoarded home caught fire in Wichita. The firefighters let the place burn and protected the surrounding buildings/properties, because the fire was so bad it was a danger to them to attempt to fight it.

Hoarded homes are a fire and health hazard for so many reasons. In most cases, a home like that will be violating at least one city/local ordinance, and it's only right that the local govt. step in. Heck, I've come *thisclose* to reporting my MIL's hoarded home to someone, but I'm afraid of the repercussions.

 

 

Yes and it seems like there is a very fine line between "just a private matter/none of the City's business/not CURRENLTY violating any existing laws/codes" vs "clear hazard that is violating laws/codes". :confused:

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I agree, however I think that local government should also address that this is a mental illness and realize that the person needs help instead of just throwing them in jail or fining them. They recognize other mental illnesses but I think this one is hard to understand since it isn't jusst about material possessions.

 

I saw the one with the man who had all the junked out cars and such and wanted to trade in the metal for money. He had been thrown in jail once. That is not going to help in these situations. These people need help, not bureaucracy.

:iagree::iagree: I find these shows VERY sad because it's not just lazy people---they have a mental illness and need help!!! I voted sometimes because it's also so sad for their kids.

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Yes and not just if there are children. Don't their neighbors deserve not to deal with the snakes and rodents and other vermin that inhabit the home/yard? It is both a health and public safety issue, imo. I agree that jail is not the answer.

 

Not to mention the safety of firefighter and other emergency workers who may need to enter the property to save your life or how it effects your neighbors property values.

 

We had a hoarder down the street who fought with city for years. His house and property were a junk pile until recently (he passed away last year and the family has cleaned up the yard). Looking at the outside of the house and condition it is in I would not enter the house and wouldnt be surprised if it was condemned. The tried to have garage sale all summer, but it looked like their garage exploded all over the driveway and yard and recently it appears as if

they just shoved everything back in the garage. Unfortunately this is the first house you see when you turn onto our road.

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If there are children involved or neighbors are being seriously impacted (junk spilling all over the yard, fire risks or rodent/roach issues). I think the involvement should be framed from a mental health standpoint and not a punitive thing. If children are involved and the parents can not get it together, I think that the child's safety has to come first so that could involve removal from the home.

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I said other. If it's an issue of child safety or public safety or elder safety, then yes. But, I don't think they should get involved if it's simply an aesthetic issue and there are no safety concerns. I don't think that would be the case with serious cases of hoarding very often, though, since it seems like public safety concerns pretty much invariably come up at a certain point.

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If the hoarding is severe, like on that show, and children are involved or a law or ordinance is being violated, then yes. Every time I watch that show I go on a cleaning frenzy and get rid of stuff. I don't even have that much stuff but I want it all gone, except our books.

I hoard books. :D

Denise

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Local codes exist to protect neighbors from pest or fire hazards. So, I say yes.

 

:iagree: There are also health ordinances. In some cases, the hoarding can be a health risk, and not just to those residing in the house, but to neighbours as well. There is a Hoarders show about people who hoard pets/animals. The level of filth involved is staggering.

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I wondered about this, too earlier, but it is still a health issue, imo. I know that some are going to argue 'slippery slope', but we are talking about a mentally ill person who is GREATLY endangering themselves, sometime to the point of death, right?

 

I agree, and in the case of those who hoard animals, they are endangering(or worse) the health of the animals.

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What if there are no close neighbors?

 

If they live in Oklahoma (my home state), then a fire could get out of control and endanger people miles and miles away. Fire hazards also endanger the fire fighters who come to put out a house fire.

 

If your home is a breeding ground of pestilence, then that could spread to local animals and livestock without being right next door.

 

If someone wants to live in anarchy, then there are plenty of places on the globe to do that.

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I said other, because I dont' think it is dependent upon if children are in the home. when garbage is hoarded, it is an invitation to rodents to also move in. in extreme cases, it ends up with a place that is uninhabitable from sanitary and even building damage. It can actually endanger more than just that one homeowners. there is mental illness behind it (usually chemically related to depression) - but rarely the kind that can force mental health treatment.

 

my experience is dh's family - his mother and her parents are/were hoarders. Honestly, while they told me about her before I met her, I thought they were exagerating. He and his sbilings have kept on top of their mother's junk by getting rid of stuff when she wasn't looking. (she still have tons of junk - but no garbage.) It never would have been as bad if she didn't have the money to support her spending habits so she can fill up her space. it is a mental illness.

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:iagree: Still, if I am the owner of the property next to someone who is an extreme hoarder I can care about their well being and still want to preserve my property value. Just think about all the collateral damage to adjacent properties: market value, pests, vermin, quality of life issues like smell......

 

we had an across the street neighbor who bought the vacant lot next door to him. He had a school bus and a grey hound bus, both filled to the ceiling, loaded with junk parked on that lot. they had sat there so long, blackberry vines were overgrowing them. granted, when we were fighting property taxes, dh did have fun showing those pics to the judge.

 

we also celebrated when they sold the property to a developer who cleaned some of it up while drawing up plans. and even more when that delapidated house was finally torn down. it had become the teen/gang hangout for beer and orgy parties with graffiti and other paraphenalia. now, there are three, million+ dollar new homes up for sale.

 

I wonder how much is just habit. Like, "it's too hard to throw this certain thing away, so I won't" and then it makes it that much harder to throw the next thing away. At least that seems to be the case with me, a recovering slob. I grew up with the mentality to "keep it, you might need it later," and it really was difficult to throw/give some things away.

 

that really isn't hoarding - that is more packrat. My grandmother, after coming through the depression, drilled the "don't throw it away you might need it" mentality into me. depsite that, she always had a neat and tidy home. One day I simply asked myself why I was keeping many of thsoe things. I love getting rid of stuff. (and if I ever need help, 1ds is super rutheless in dejunking.). I've helped my serious pack-rat sil thin down many of her (and her packrat dh's) things. now mil (a hoarder) is living with her, so the stuff quotient is climbing again. not my problem.

Edited by gardenmom5
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that really isn't hoarding - that is more packrat. My grandmother, after coming through the depression, drilled the "don't throw it away you might need it" mentality into me. depsite that, she always had a neat and tidy home. One day I simply asked myself why I was keeping many of thsoe things. I love getting rid of stuff. (and if I ever need help, 1ds is super rutheless in dejunking.). I've helped my serious pack-rat sil thin down many of her (and her packrat dh's) things. now mil (a hoarder) is living with her, so the stuff quotient is climbing again. not my problem.

 

Ok, yeah I can see that.

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I think yes, unless you live where others are not affected and if children are not harmed.

 

I often wonder why people are allowed to keep multiple toilets, old washing machines, cars and car parts on their lawns. I often wonder if it's dangerous to kids or animals. Its a 40 year Maytag a hazard? Should the neighbor next door even care? Does an 1979 gutted Ford truck or old claw tub in the front yard next door reduce my property values? ;) These are questions I hope never to have to seriously consider.

Edited by LibraryLover
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Should the neighbor next door even care? Does an 1979 gutted Ford truck or old claw tub in the front yard next door reduce my property values?

 

Most often yes it does. No one wants to buy a house next door to someone with a dump in their front yard. Here the city makes homeowners clear off stuff like that after a certain amount of time.

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Most often yes it does. No one wants to buy a house next door to someone with a dump in their front yard. Here the city makes homeowners clear off stuff like that after a certain amount of time.

 

 

Hey! Where is my ;) at the end of that sentence?

 

I don't mean to joke.

 

On the legal front, I would think courts would jail as a last result. It seems a threat more than anything.

 

The few times I have seen Hoarders, I found it so heartbreaking. The episodes I've seen show very kind and articulate folks. So much sadness.

Edited by LibraryLover
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What if there are no close neighbors?

 

That's my question. Most of the problems that would affect neighbours seem to be related to living close to them.

 

I live out on a rural road. We have 2 acres. Our nearest neighbour has 8 and the one across the road has about 125. That's about it for the houses I can see from mine. I really don't mind if one of them has a rather junky yard. They're far enough away that it poses no hazard and where we are, having a neighbouring yard that's an eyesore doesn't really affect property value. Another neighbour up the road has had the municipality after him though. He has a lot of dead cars in his yards and a few junky sheds. I don't mind. I don't think anyone on the road minds. That's why we move out here, so we don't have to worry about being bothered by the municipality over that sort of thing. But our municipality is primarily an urban one and rural areas are odd ducks that they don't know how to deal with.:glare:

 

I can definitely understand why local government needs to step in in close urban situations. I don't appreciate them coming out here where the context is so different and applying the same rules.

Edited by WishboneDawn
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I don't think these people with a mental disorder are really thinking along the lines of anarchy.

 

I wasn't suggesting that they were. I was suggesting it for those who don't want any local ordinances to mess with.

 

I wish there were more ways for government to help with mental health.

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I think what some people may not realize is that in most areas, the gov't HAS ways to help with the mental health aspects, but rarely do hoarders want to take advantage of those resources.

 

I am the daughter of a hoarder, and, at least in my area, the govt officials we have been in contact with have generally been pretty good about seeing that this is not just a 'clean it or jail' issue. Often with hoarding issues, the health dept gets involved first, and the health dept is usually in a good position to refer to social services for therapy. (Or child protective services or adult protective services if there are vulnerable people in the hoarded home) Our health dept offered my mom an excellent therapist through social services who has been very helpful. They also, like many of the health depts you see on Hoarders if you notice, have extended deadlines for her repeatedly as long as she shows at least some progress is being made.

 

One of our officials told me, and I have since heard this other places, that the govt really does not want to just come in and take away people's property in a hoarding situation because it always ends up being a huge loss to the city with the cleanup costs. That is why our community and so many others HAVE started offering therapy, because not only is it much cheaper than a $20K forced cleanout, but it is much more humane. Govt officials are people too, and generally they got involved in govt because they wanted to make people's lives & communities better. They have to deal with some pretty hard realities sometimes.

 

That said, a lot of hoarders do not see that the problem is one that needs help, nor do they see how the problem affects the neighbors, community, etc. The health dept's first responsibility has GOT to be to the community as a whole, and I fully support their efforts. A LOT of hoarders will not take therapy when it is offered, or benefit from it if it is forced on them - if you've watched Hoarders much you'll see PLENTY of people in deep denial. I don't think my mom would have taken the therapy if we as the family had not put a LOT of pressure on her, and she was not very happy about it and still really felt that if she just got the right organizing system she could take care of all of this herself. But over time it has helped her realize the extent of her problem, and that has made it a lot easier for us to both help her with cleaning, AND eased the tension of family dynamics as a whole.

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Yes and not just if there are children. Don't their neighbors deserve not to deal with the snakes and rodents and other vermin that inhabit the home/yard? It is both a health and public safety issue, imo. I agree that jail is not the answer.

 

:iagree: (I voted other, b/c of the not just children part.)

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Yes and not just if there are children. Don't their neighbors deserve not to deal with the snakes and rodents and other vermin that inhabit the home/yard? It is both a health and public safety issue, imo. I agree that jail is not the answer.

 

That sort of made me smile because we have lots of snakes here. They LOVE our firewood piles and I couldn't be happier about having them as neighbours because they'll go after the rodents. Granted, we have Garter, Red Belly and the gorgeous Green snakes so nothing poisonous.

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I wasn't suggesting that they were. I was suggesting it for those who don't want any local ordinances to mess with.

 

I wish there were more ways for government to help with mental health.

 

:iagree: If we did not have reasonable regulations, then a strip joint or a bar or a garbage dump could set up shop next door:001_huh:

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We lived next door to a hoarder. The distance between us was about 1 car driveway plus half of another. She kept her front yard mowed and clean. In house under 1ooo sq ft she had 1 dog and 30+ cats. The inside was so dirty that I would get sick just standing at the door. so she could care for all defenseless animals she would leave large tubs of food around her house. As her neighbor I struggled with roach problems, raccoons and feral cats, bats, the stench coming from her yard (so bad I stopped inviting guests over). Her dd would come and clean but my neighbor would be so distressed that she would gamble for days after at a local casino. she couldn't throw any book or magazine away. She would allow months of mail to just sit. Of course with that many cats it was nasty very quickly.

 

She had a fire in the kitchen wall and the power was turned off until she could find someone to turn it on. Her house smelled so bad, even after another person and I cleaned, that it took weeks to find an electrician.

 

As a neighbor I tired of the bugs. We lived so close that I knew when her house caught fire, mine would probably burn too.

 

It is a mental health issue. My city, and probably many more, are not equiped to deal with the mental health issues. They may lack counselors qualified. THey don't want to spend money making cure the person is getting help.

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Local codes exist to protect neighbors from pest or fire hazards. So, I say yes.

 

:iagree: I wouldn't vote "Yes-every time" simply because I'm sure there's some subjective decisions to be made about what is actually hoarding. I will say "Yes- sometimes, like when local codes are broken, pets are involved, or children or the elderly are involved". My mother was a hoarder when I was in my teens. She no longer is, but it is NOT a good place for anyone.

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I said sometimes but I didn't mean only if children are involved though definitely if children are living in unsafe conditions. I would also include others who are not voluntarily living there (elderly, handicapped, animals) and also if it affects health and safety of neighbors. If it is affecting neighborhood values, that would depend on the zoning laws. I expect that where I live and the kind of places I always choose to live in there are municipal laws against creating an unsafe environment and often there are also laws about trash disposal which things like broken down cars or toilets would fall under and yes, I would expect those restrictions to be enforced. But I also choose not to buy homes in HOA communities because I don't want overzealous (IMO) zoning enforcement.

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I said sometimes, if children are endangered, I seen one episode where they were most certainly in danger, there was no where to cook, trash piled up, it was a health hazard for sure. I would think also if there was a fire or health hazard to others at well. As far as the property values that would be another issue as it would be hard to determine, I am rabidly against HOAs especially for those not voluntarily agreeing- it could be a slippery slope.

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Yes, if the person is violating an ordinance or harming anyone. I'm not talking about "buys too much stuff at garage sales." More like... cats reproducing and defecating all over the place... garbage heaps that breed pests.

 

As far as I know, county mental health employees DO get involved trying to help hoarders. If you've seen the show, though, you know that even the most qualified, patient, well-intentioned therapist is no match if the person is not committed to changing. Hoarders have lost their homes and children because they were unable to overcome the hoarding :(

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