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Health Authorities On Vancouver Island Are Trying To Get A Handle On Hoarding.

April 27, 2016 By Avery Associates

Health authorities on Vancouver Island are trying to get a handle on hoarding

Island Health says there are hoarders living in approximately 11,000 homes in the region and that one in 25 people in Greater Victoria is directly affected by hoarding. The Hoarding Education and Action Team (HEAT) has now launched a website and a telephone line at 250.361.0227 where people can go to request help.

However, the problem is not limited to Vancouver Island.

Vancouver’s Hoarding Action Response Team has tackled 350 cases of hoarding in the two years alone.
Carli Edwards, the assistant director of inspections for the City of Vancouver, says Vancouver is the only city in North America that brings a team together to tackle this issue
Edwards says a number of agencies is represented on the team, including inspectors, fire department, and mental health workers from the Vancouver Coastal Health.
Out of the 350 cases the team has dealt with, 250 have been deemed closed. One hundred are still active, according to Edwards.
Edwards says the involvement of mental health workers is necessary to build a relationship with a person affected.

“We approach each case the same, and once we develop a case — it is very individual how we work,” she says.

The workers’ job is to explain health and safety risks associated with hoarding and reconnect them with the community.

“In many cases, the people are very isolated from their friends sand family,” says Edwards.

The firefighters are involved to estimate the dangers involved.

“It is not just a prevalence that a fire will happen, but if a fire happens, it is much more likely that a fire will be serious and injury either the person inside the house or a first responder going to the fire,” says Edwards.

She says hoarding was always a problem in the community.

“But each agency handled it on their own, working within their own resources. We had a couple of very serious incidents, one of them being a serious fire where the person died in the fire. They died because they could not get out, and no firefighter could get in to rescue them. This was a wake-up call.”

Author – Jeffrey Avery

Filed Under: Compulsive Hoarding Tagged With: compulsive hoarding, firefighters, vancouver island

Our House Clearance Services

We provide a full house clearance and property management solution:

  • We clear hoarded houses, regardless how big or how cluttered
  • We clear all types and sizes of property, irrespective of location, or access is restricted or where parking is difficult or not available.
  • We can help avoid water damage by draining the central heating system.
  • We can secure the property and change the locks.
  • We can reinstate the gardens and maintain them whilst the property is empty.
  • We can provide 24 hour security to eliminate the risk of squatting or unlawful occupation.

As well normal house clearances we specialise in clutter clearance and we can clear a hoarded house which may contain years of accumulated possessions, or which have abnormal amounts of general household items, sometimes as a result of compulsive hoarding syndrome.

Equally we can help to clear a property where the occupants were previously unwell and unable to care for themselves or their property which sometimes results in insanitary, dangerous or just plain unpleasant conditions.

More info

What We Do

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Client Reviews

Feb 1, 2021
by Sally Thompson on Avery Associates
Sensitive House Clearance

You have done an excellent job, given that you had very little time. Brenda and I do appreciate how much you have done and feel it is really kind of you... Read More

Feb 1, 2021
by Sacha Hawes on Avery Associates
Hoarded House Clearance

I would firstly like to thank everyone at Avery associates for their hard work . We called Jeff after the sudden death of my father. He was a "hoarder... Read More

Feb 1, 2021
by Jennie Adams on Avery Associates
House Clearance And Search For Valuable Items

We are very grateful to Jeff and his team for carrying out a clearance on a very cluttered relative’s house. He fitted in with our timeframe organising... Read More

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Avery Associates
291 Mitcham Rd
Tooting SW179JQ

Tel: 0800 567 7769 or 0208 640 0044

Services provided throughout London and the Home Counties. View our clearance case studies.


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