Hoarding Impacts Hoarders, Families, and Communities

While the havoc hoarding wreaks on a home’s inhabitants is quite well-known, very few are aware of all the ways these behaviors can impact the surrounding community. From neighbors to first responders, serious hoarding problems can lead to far-reaching effects. While the definition of hoarding may be hard to pin down, what is certain is that these conditions can cause great harm to both property and lives.

Regulations Remain Inadequate in Many States

Unfortunately, hoarding remains legal in many states due to lawmakers’ reluctance to dictate just how people should live within in their homes. Animal hoarding falls under the purview of cruelty and neglect, and hoarders with minor children can jeopardize their family if their illness places others in danger. However, those hoarders simply compiling possessions often find themselves able to avoid any legal ramifications.

Though personal autonomy and privacy is something we all value, hoarding can encroach on the lives of others and endanger those unlikely enough to live in close proximity to such homes. Additionally, hoarding can also greatly reduce the property value of a given area, which can result in a great deal of financial turmoil for neighbors.

Fire Risks are Higher in Hoarded Homes

Hoarding cleanup not only improves living situations and property values, it can also be essential to maintaining personal health and safety. Homes with massive amounts of junk can be a huge fire risk. As a tragic house fire in Ohio illustrates, if the home does catch fire, the situation can get quickly out of hand. Hoarding can greatly imperil the lives of fire fighters who must enter the home and contend with navigating tight and sometimes impassable spaces. Fire rescue is also more difficult to accomplish in situations where pathways through rooms are cluttered with debris, which puts the lives of inhabitants in grave danger.

Fires in hoarded homes can spread quickly, especially in homes with an abundance of paper products or other kindling. As a result, hoarding poses a unique threat to virtually everyone in the surrounding area. This can be a terrifying prospect for the family and friends of hoarders.

Hoarding Turns Tragic When Animals Are Involved

As mentioned above, some hoarders choose to collect as many animals as they can acquire. Not only does this contribute to unsanitary conditions, it’s also cruel and neglectful to the animal. In many cases where animal hoarding is an issue, distressed animals can easily die from their desperate situations. This senseless loss is compounded by the hoarders’ inability to recognize that their behavior is doing more harm than good to pets they profess to love.

Make Your House a Home Again

The prospect of hoarding cleanup can be daunting even for the professionals, but Aftermath technicians have the know-how needed to help make you or your loved one’s house livable again. Our team of trauma cleaners are discreet and compassionate; they understand that making the choice to change is possibly the most difficult part of a cleanup. Don’t hesitate to get the help you need. Call the hoarding cleanup pros at Aftermath today.