Hoarding Awareness Week is an opportunity for us to look at a difficult, hidden and often misunderstood issue that affects communities across the week.
Hoarding is a serious condition that can impact on a person’s health, safety and wellbeing, which requires a sensitive and understanding approach.
What is hoarding?
Hoarding is not just having lots of belongings or a messy home. It is a mental health condition where people find it very hard to throw things away, even if they have little value. Over time, this can build up and make it hard to live safely in their home.
For housing providers, this can cause serious problems. It can increase the risk of fires, damage to the building, pests, and blocked exits. This can be dangerous for the person living there, as well as neighbours and emergency services.
It’s important to understand that hoarding is not a choice. It is often connected to things like trauma, anxiety, or depression.
Why does raising awareness matter?
Hoarding often goes unreported, as residents may become withdrawn, embarrassed or fearful of breaking their tenancy.
Without intervention, hoarding can escalate and become more difficult to resolve in the long run.
By raising awareness throughout the week, we can help break down barriers and misconceptions, encourage residents to seek help without fear, help our staff to respond appropriately and work with partners to support residents where needed.
Putting people first
A sensitive and resident-centred approach helps us build trust and deliver better long-term outcomes for those suffering. We want residents to feel safe and talk openly about their situation and try and understand the causes so we can help put support in place.
Teign is here to help
We work with our tenancy management staff to carry out training to recognise early signs of hoarding and respond sensitively.
We’ve produced a Hoarding Policy which sets out our approach to help residents and the steps we will take to support them.
All home visits are carried out sensitively, with support plans put in place with achievable goals to help those individuals step-by-step.
By working with other support organisations across the region, we can work together to signpost those suffering to further support or help, so we can help improve the resident’s wellbeing and engagement.
Remember – help is available
The most important thing to remember is that help is always available and change is possible.
By having open conversations and creating a culture of understanding, we can ensure residents feel supported rather than judged. Early interventions mean better outcomes and safer communities.
If you or someone you know is struggling with hoarding, please contact us on 01626 322722 or customerhub@teignhousing.co.uk
We’re here to help.