Behind closed doors in Kent, a quiet crisis is taking hold – one that often goes unseen by neighbours, friends, and even family.<\/p>\n
Inside some homes, bedrooms are no longer places to sleep, baths are buried under clutter, and stairs are completely blocked off.<\/p>\n
Inside the home of one hoarder helped by the council. Picture: Swale Borough Council<\/p>\n
In extreme cases, people are forced to sleep sitting up in armchairs, unable to reach their own beds.<\/p>\n
Last year, Swale Borough Council (SBC) helped make 179 homes safer for people living in conditions shaped by hoarding – a complex and often misunderstood mental health condition.<\/p>\n
During National Hoarding Awareness Week, the authority is highlighting the transformative work being done to support vulnerable residents across the borough.<\/p>\n
It says hoarding is not simply a matter of mess or disorganisation – it\u2019s a condition that can turn once-safe homes into dangerous environments, where navigating from room to room becomes a challenge and basic facilities like microwaves or toilets become inaccessible.<\/p>\n
SBC says that\u2019s where its Staying Put service steps in. With a mix of practical support and empathy, officers visit people facing these conditions, helping to restore safety, dignity, and peace of mind.<\/p>\n
One resident it helped, who asked to remain anonymous, said: \u201cMy very grateful and heartfelt thanks to the team of people that have recently assisted me and my living situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have all shown me kindness, understanding, honesty and respect while ensuring that everything that was being done was with my health and safety firmly in mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaying Put is an amazing service, and the team should be made aware as to how life-changing their service will be for me moving forward and probably many others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parts of people’s homes can often become blocked off and inaccessible because of hoarding. Picture: Swale Borough Council<\/p>\n
SBC says each hoarding case is approached with sensitivity, \u201ceasing any embarrassment or anxiety residents may feel\u201d.<\/p>\n
The support it offers is tailored to each individual. When residents are ready to part with belongings, items are removed, recycled, or donated to charity.<\/p>\n
For those not ready, the team helps organise possessions into safer storage. The goal is always the same – to reclaim space, reduce risk, and make homes liveable again.<\/p>\n
Once rooms are accessible, repairs such as fixing leaks, replacing flooring, or removing trip hazards are arranged.<\/p>\n
Deep-cleans are carried out when necessary, and homes are assessed for potential pest issues. The service is delivered in partnership with the NHS, Kent County Council\u2019s social services, and local charities.<\/p>\n
The results are striking. In 2023, the Staying Put service helped prevent 144 people from potential harm or hospitalisation due to unsafe living conditions. It also enabled 35 residents to return home from hospital sooner, once their environments were made safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaying Put provides an invaluable service,\u201d said Angela Harrison, chair of Swale Borough Council\u2019s housing and health committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe work of our officers is making a real difference to these people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Hoarding is a complex and often misunderstood mental health condition. Picture: Swale Borough Council<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand how difficult it must be for people affected by hoarding behaviour to tackle the issues they face, and I commend their bravery in accepting our offer of help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoarding affects people of all ages and backgrounds, but many of those the council supports are elderly, isolated, or coping with trauma, grief or long-term mental health conditions.<\/p>\n
If you or someone you know is struggling with hoarding, visit SBC\u2019s Staying Put website for more information and support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Behind closed doors in Kent, a quiet crisis is taking hold – one that often goes unseen by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115305,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[608,105,609,2081,495,218,36785,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-115304","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-faversham","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-human-interest","11":"tag-isle-of-sheppey","12":"tag-kent","13":"tag-mental-health","14":"tag-sittingbourne","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114536534887068400","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115304\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}