The Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) have launched their new guidelines for working with people who hoard, or are living in environmental neglect (previously known as squalor). Hoarding Home Solutions has been engaged by DFFH to train frontline workers about the changes, and therefore we have had the opportunity to really get to know the document in depth. You can read the full document here, but we have prepared a snapshot for our readers. What the new guide is: A process guide of best practice and how to tap into resources in the community. A public facing ..read more

Kat had expected Bill to come home by now. Surely he would tire of living in his small caravan with no “facilities”. Surely Kylie would tire of him hanging around. But Bill did not come home. They spoke occasionally on the phone and Kat had brought it up, trying to not sound desperate for his company. “Isn’t it awkward having to go into Kylie’s little house to use the bathroom?” she asked. “It’s less awkward than squeezing down our hall to get to the bathroom at home”, he’d replied. Kat pivoted. “Well, you shouldn’t expect Kylie to cook for you all the time”, she said. “I don’t. I’m cooking a ..read more

KC Davis kept turning up on my radar – chats with international colleagues, social media mentions, a TED Talk. I thought I’d better tune in. Listening to her story, I felt like I was listening to the stories of many of my clients. Listening to her solutions, I knew I needed to read her book. The key premise of her book, How to Keep House While Drowning – a gentle approach to cleaning and organising, is that care tasks are morally neutral. She believes that as humans we are worthy of love and acceptance whether our house is immaculate or a mess. “Of course that’s true!” we respond. But years of ..read more

After their failed attempt to see eye to eye, Bill did indeed pack up and take the caravan to visit Kylie, Bruce and Tiffany in the country. He was sick of waiting for Kat to see the light. He knew she wouldn’t join him, preferring to stay and tinker with her precious hoard. Kat thought, “That man is obsessed with that caravan. What’s so good about sleeping in a tin box?” She told herself they needed a break from each other anyway. She would use the time apart to research some more storage solutions. She needed something to show off her collection of thimbles. Three days later, Kat spent hours ..read more

Kat and Bill clearly saw things differently. Bill was annoyed with Kat because she didn’t even see the chaos that was right in front of her eyes. Kat was annoyed with Bill for not acknowledging her efforts with the bathroom transformation. Sure, it wasn’t perfect yet, but she’d worked really hard on it and he was just nitpicking. After a night of tossing and turning, Kat took action and made an appointment with Louise, her psychologist. She needed someone to hear about her frustration with Bill and give her some strategies to turn him around. At the appointment, Louise listened patiently. She ..read more

Later that day, after Bill’s statement that he didn’t feel at home, he made just two more. The first was to say he would pay off Kat’s credit card one last time, but this was her last chance. She was to use this as a fresh start. The second statement was made without uttering a word. He went to their bedroom, collected his pyjamas and dressing gown, and took himself off to sleep in the caravan. Kat’s first reaction was relief. She really was grateful for him taking the financial burden off her shoulders. Her second reaction was shock. How could Bill say their house wasn’t a home? All she ever ..read more

After her failed attempt to return her purchases and recoup some money, Kat thought long and hard about how she could make some money and pay off her credit card before Bill could discover her secret. The items she’d tried to return were in perfect condition. Surely someone would buy them from her. Then Kat remembered the weekly Sunday morning market. She’d often been a browser and customer there. She would book a stall and become a seller. Step #1: book the market stall and pay the $68. Oh, but Problem #1: they only take payment by credit card. She was totally maxed out. Things were desperate ..read more

A message from the University of New South Wales regarding a research study: Researchers at UNSW are conducting a project about the association between mental health and our attachment to possessions in people with hoarding disorder. We are reaching out to anyone who may have hoarding disorder to participate in this study. Participation in this research is voluntary. If you are interested, the research project is looking for people who want to take part in this research and meet the following criteria: Are over 18 years of age English speaking Have hoarding disorder Participants meeting the ..read more

Kat’s Harry Potter themed shopping spree had been fun but the unexpected purchases did make balancing the credit card tricky. She dare not tell Bill about her account being so close to the limit. She knew what he’d say. He’d said it often enough. The following week things went from bad to worse. Kat tried to pay for her groceries but the credit card was declined. She was so embarrassed. She searched through her purse for notes and coins, but it wasn’t enough. She had to leave the store with only half her groceries. There’d be no steak for dinner this week. How would she explain that to Bill? O ..read more

The day had finally come. Tiffany’s dream of a sleepover at grandma and grandad’s had arrived. Although the room was still snug with furniture, boxes and other items hugging the walls, the bed was clear, and Tiffany was able to walk all the way around the bed. She excitedly unpacked her little overnight bag. She took a book and her iPad from the bag and went to put them on the wicker nightstand. Kat was proud of the work she had achieved with Jane to make this day possible. She was also proud of the arrangement on the nightstand. It brought back memories. There was a stack of old Dolly magazin ..read more