Increase in hoarders and people living in squalor prompts launch of website
THERE are now so many problem hoarders — and people living in squalor — in Adelaide a website has been set up to try and tackle the issue. And there’s a pocket that is particularly bad.
THERE are now so many problem hoarders — and people living in squalor — in Adelaide a website has been set up to try and tackle the issue. And there’s a pocket that is particularly bad.
Welfare groups say Adelaide’s south has emerged as a problem area with an increase in reported cases of people living in squalid condition across the region in recent years.
Junction Australia chief executive Graham Brown said over the past seven years, there had been an increase in people seeking help from the Christies Beach-based welfare service for hoarding and living in filth.
“What we do know is that both hoarding and squalor are becoming more common in South Australia — and in the south,” Mr Brown said.
He said the number of complaints made about people living in squalor was also rising.
“Councils and landlords are increasingly being confronted with these issues.
“The rise may be attributed to a number of factors, including the three plagues of the modern society — hopelessness, helplessness and disconnection.”
Mr Brown said he could not put a figure on hoarder and squalor numbers, but the problem was so prevalent, Junction Australia had launched a website to try and address the issue.
“The website will act as a one-stop information source for those struggling with the often hidden and misunderstood topic, as well as their families and service providers,” he said.
“This includes health professionals, mental health workers, housing and accommodation providers, the aged care sector and those working in child protection.
“It is not just a social housing issue, it’s broader than that.
“It goes right across the socio-economic spectrum.”
Mr Brown said Junction Australia, which manages 450 rental properties for low income earners across the south, had worked with several other welfare agencies, including Housing SA, Domiciliary Care and the State Government, to develop the Hoarding and Squalor website.
“It is a complex issue that requires a multi-agency response,” he said.
Onkaparinga Council director of corporate and city services Alison Hancock said hoarding and squalor impacted on the wider community, and had the potential to cause significant health issues.
She said the council worked with other organisations to better understand the extent of the problem and to explore the best way to help those in the community affected.
The Junction Australia website is hoardingandsqualorsa.com.au