A new service helping those in need has recently been set up at Young.
Catholic Community Services NSW/ACT is the first community organsiation to offer a specialist hoarding and squalor service in the Southern Highlands to tackle the complex and often hidden social issues of compulsive hoarding and domestic squalor that can lead to
homelessness.
The Young based service has accepted 30 clients in just five months and currently has a coordinator and two care workers who cover the shires of Young, Harden, Boorowa, upper Lachlan, Yass Valley, Mulwaree, Palerang, Queanbeyan, Eurobadalla, Cooma, Snowy River, Bega Valley and Bombala.
The hoarding and squalor service provides experienced care workers willing to work with people in their homes over a period of time.
Senior Coordinator Rebecca Roberson says the program is long overdue to tackle an unmet need in Australia.
“Grief, depression or anxiety can really impact on a person’s life and someone suffering from depression finds it hard to find the motivation to get on top of things,” Ms Roberson said.
“I am very excited this program has started as I believe it has been an unmet need for a long time.
“It’s great there is finally a program to help,” she said.
Ms Roberson moved from Canberra seven years ago to Harden where she worked as a case worker and recently moved to Young to head the program.
“I love working in welfare positions as it about supporting people,” Ms Roberson said.
“I enjoy helping people and it is very rewarding to help the clients achieve their goals,” she said.
Ms Roberson says there has been high demand around the Young and Harden area.
“I’m really excited how things are going,” Ms Roberson said.
“There has been high demand across the area we cover and its great local people in need finally have somewhere to turn to for help,” she said.
People referred to the Catholic Community Services can be living in or have a history of living in unsanitary or chaotic conditions owing to a range of personal difficulties such as psychiatric or physical health disorders, age related illnesses, poverty, trauma or disability.
“The people we see are at increased risk of ill health and high risk of eviction and homelessness,” Ms Roberson said.
“Some people are compulsive hoarders, but not everyone.
“They are often socially isolated because of depression, dementia, disability or other problems that lead to their home environment deteriorating into disorganization or squalor,” she said.
Contrary to popular belief it isn’t just elderly people living alone who need support to de clutter, clean up and reclaim their homes.
Half of the people the service sees are under the age of 50 and half live with others.
“We work with a wide range of people from a woman in her 40’s who lives alone and has suffered from years of anxiety and depression but who has been able to reclaim her life and environment with our help to a man in his 60’s who lives with his
granddaughter and was hospitalized and couldn’t return home without help to clean up their unit and solve issues such as
lack of a washing machine,” Ms Roberson said.
“Our approach is neither a quick fix nor simply a cleaning service.
“We work with people in their homes to help them break the cycle of compulsive hoarding, lack of self care or social isolation in order to reclaim a healthier environment,” she said.
You can contact the Catholic Community Services at Young on: (02) 63 82 49 24 or call the customer service line on: 1800 225 474 .
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