HOARDING AND SQUALOR
CleanAbilities was created after experiencing first-hand the transformation a clean environment makes to a person living in squalor. We believe circumstances like these have a tremendous impact on a person’s mental health, and can leave an individual with an inability to cope.
The weight of filth, embarrassment, and anxiety is heavy, however, that weight can be lifted. When people are treated with respect, empathy, and care they are given the opportunity to restore their homes and consequently, their lives.
Sometimes an individual is able to ask for help before hoarding and squalor spiral to out of control levels. However, in our experience, this is not always the case. Often a loved one, landlord or case officer are able to work with an individual to see that intervention is a solution to help them to start coping again.
How can we help?
Our intervention deep cleaning services can help with:
- Outdoor areas such as yards and decks accumulated with rubbish and personal items
- Indoor rooms that are either accessible or not due to rubbish and personal items: kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms, halls and passageways
What does an outcome look like?
- Health improvement for the individual by improving hygiene of the house and removing filth. This also leads to lower costs to provider for funding.
- Anxiety levels decreased for individuals overwhelmed by the problem. It is a new start and the cycle can be broken for the individual
- Stopping an eviction and a trusted party is able to assist in the future
- Clarity for case officers and an opening for support services
A Sensitive process
Intervention to hoarding and squatting is an extremely sensitive process. At CleanAbilities we recognise that each person has their own anxieties,
their own capacity to resolve their circumstances as well as varying levels of desire to change their situation.
CleanAbilities recognises every client is unique and there is a need to respond to difficult circumstances with urgency.
We respond rapidly to a call for help, interacting with supporting services and the individual to find the most effective remediation plan forward. We also provide supporting documentation so that those who are not close to the situation are appropriately supported.
We also work hard to be flexible as our clients are all unique people facing their own challenging circumstances
