By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Livingston County’s Hoarding Task Force was able to help a local senior citizen clean out of an unsafe situation.

Hoarding Task Force team members, several local volunteers and family members spent a Saturday in early August working with a local senior cleaning out her home and garage, which had become unsafe for her to live in.

Prior to the clean out event, a team of volunteers had met with the senior at the home to sort items into designated piles to discard, donate and keep. Two dumpsters were filled throughout the day. By the end of the day, the garage had been completely cleaned out and reorganized with some of the “keep” items. Much of the house had been purged of items and reorganized with more work yet to be done.

One of Livingston County Catholic Charities’ Mental Health Counselors was on hand and remained at the client’s side helping her through the stressful process.

Officials say the beneficiary had suffered much trauma in her past and hoarding became her coping mechanism. As the hoarding got out of control, it was no longer safe for her to remain in the home that she and her husband shared and raised their child in. She moved into an apartment but desperately wanted to get back into her home but it was too overwhelming to begin on her own.

Officials said it’s now a reality because of many organizations and individuals who came together to make it happen. The Hoarding Task Force, Livingston County Community Mental Health, Livingston County Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanities, Home Depot, Smith Douglas & Associates, Department of Health & Human Services and several individuals, including some of the neighbors who saw what was being done, grabbed their gloves and joined in the activity.

The Hoarding Task Force said it wants the community to understand that hoarding is not an illegal activity. Officials say it’s worrisome and stressful for families but the task force can only help when the client wants to engage in support and take the steps to recover – adding it’s very important for families to understand the disease and engage in difficult conversations with loved ones.

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