Hoarding is a growing problem in Thunder Bay.
Compulsive collecting in the city is getting so bad, some people are sleeping outside of their homes. Others are trapped in them. The condition has even claimed the life of an elderly woman who was trapped under piles of newspaper as her home burned.
“We’ve gone in and there’s human excrement up to two feet on the floor. You’re walking around you see counters where there’s animal feces everywhere. It is so bad that you don’t recognize things as furniture anymore,” said city licensing enforcement manager Ron Bourret.
“We’ve seen a recent place where it’s right up to the ceiling with plastic just absolutely plastic bottles… once it gets out of hand it’s out of hand. There was one particular situation we had last year where the lady in a trailer wrote ‘help me please’ on her window because she was inside her trailer and she knew she needed help. ‘Rescue me’ was basically what she was saying.”
Bourret said hoarders don’t realize the effect their condition has on everything from health to family to community.
In one particular case we have in Thunder Bay the summer heat with the smell coming from the property, people from two blocks away were not even able to enjoy their backyard,” he said.
While the city has dealt with the situations, most people go right back to hoarding once a house or property is cleaned up. And although there are mental health services available, those on the frontlines from fire fighters to by-law enforcement officers need to learn more about the condition.
Next week, a specialized team from Hamilton is coming to Thunder Bay to help develop a protocol so that hoarders can get the help they need Bourret said. The city dealt with five serious cases last year but only two the year before. He said the problem seems to be getting worse. So far in 2012, the city has already identified two serious cases.
“The frequency we’ve noticed has increased and we really don’t know why that is other than we’re maybe more aware nowadays and with these hoarding shows people are now saying ‘hey my neighbour’s got that situation going on’,” he said.
Most cases are elderly people who have no family, which is unfortunate Bourret said.
“It’s very unfortunate because a lot of these people don’t have family members because we look for family members to step up and help and it’s kind of like they’re abandoned, they’re left on their own.”
