A Chatham-Kent councillor is calling on the municipality to develop strategies to support people dealing with hoarding issues.
On Monday, council passed a motion to learn more about hoarding and what would be needed to assist people who are living in a hoarding situation. The motion directs municipal staff to report back by early next year.
"I want to see a collaborative group that includes mental health supports, counselling, and other supports to help with cleaning," said Ward 6 Councillor Marjorie Crew.
According to Crew, hoarding is a known concern to a person's health and safety which can lead to fire hazards, infestations, evictions, and homelessness.
She said the municipality has dedicated a lot of money to the issue but there has been very little of an impact.
"Hoarding is not always visible. In most cases you find out by accident," said Crew. "It's usually a person is being evicted or there has been a fire."
Crew said the municipality needs to put a lens on the issue.
"We need to look at the impact on the person, first responders, our social services, and human services," said Crew. "It has an impact on all of it. We need to see what's going on here and how we can help."
Crew said the report will also look into how other communities are responding to hoarding in their municipalities. The report will include input from emergency services, police, public health, building and development, as well as any other community partners that can provide input into the situation.
"I don't know what the recommendations are going to be yet," said Crew. "I just hope that we can come up with something and identify that the need is there."
