Hoarders Beware
How Hoarding Can Cost You Your Home
It's in the news all the time, not just this week or today: hoarders getting evicted, found dead, and/or causing fires in the home. Recently, an evicted hoarder decided to file a lawsuit for being locked out of his condo with a sign reading "Unfit for human habitation." See full article, "Fighting to Remain Engulfed in Junk" about Sam Shipkovitz. Should we feel sorry for him, or rejoyce that some people care about him enough to try and stop him?
I personally am thankful the hoarder task force moved in to do something about it. I do, however, sympathize with his plight -- I'm not cold-hearted. On the other hand, other articles about hoarders do not have such positive results (if we believe the result to be positive, that is). Many of them are about fires that wipe out a residence or adjoining apartment units, injuring firemen who have difficulty getting into the place to put out the fire. See ABC's Good Morning America news article, "Police Crack Down on Hoarders" to learn that 14 firefighters were injured in such an incident. This was also covered in a NY Daily News article, "Pack Rat Neighbors Feared Death Trap."
There are many programs springing up now to stop hoarders. In my blog entry "Putting a stop to hoarding," it talks about a Hoarding Convention that is aimed at approaching the problem with hoarders at the prevention level, as well as the intervention level.
In another related blog post about hoarders called "Dangerous Piles" it talks about one tradegy of a hoarder, although this isn't the only story of its kind either.
So, if we are unable to change the habits and lifestyles of hoarders, than intervention seems to be the only way to guarantee their own safety, as well as the safety of their neighbors. Is eviction then such a drastic measure if it means saving lives?
Comments and stories welcome.
2 comment(s):
i just noticed your article/this is sam shipkovitz-the person discussed; first the article is filled with lies. i did not sleep on my boxes and the boxes were another's in their bathtub;there was no food, garbage, debris-just a set of stacked modular drawers, boxes of books, and was similar to the backroom of a major law firm;the excuse that "fireman could get hurt if there was a fire" ignores the fact that noone smoke or drank alcohol,there was no gasoline or anything at all dangerous; and the WASHPOST picture published is accurate;i have received hundreds of calls from other professionals who stated that their office is messier and more cluttered than mine, and if the fireman does not want to be a fireman but to control another citizen's behavior then they should get into a different line of work
Sam Shipkovitz
P.O. Box 2961
Arlingon, VA 22202 USA
samspatusa@aol.com
By sam shipkovitz, at 8:18 AM
If you can not see the problem, then it does not exist? Other people live in the building, so they have a right to a safe environment. Pests thrive in conditions like this!
In this day and age, it is amazing to me that someone would be so bone lazy as to live in a mess like this, and then expend energy justifying their behaviour.
Wake up and smell the coffee! Go to Flylady.com for help!
By IM, at 2:08 PM
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