Everything you need to know about squalor
A Sydney provider has launched an online toolkit with information and advice about hoarding and domestic squalor.
A new online toolkit has been launched to assist organisations providing services to people who live in severe domestic squalor.
It is the only website of its type in Australia and the world’s first interactive squalor resource.
Developed by Catholic Community Services, the toolkit contains information about hoarding disorders and a list of agencies in central Sydney which can provide support services for people living in squalid conditions.
The website also has a section called ‘Pathways through the Maze’, which offers tailored advice to visitors based on their responses to a list of questions.
Catholic Community Services has been running a squalor service in the City of Sydney for the past two years.
The senior coordinator of the group’s homelessness, mental health and disability services, Susan Graham, said the toolkit was designed to help people understand the complexities of hoarding and squalor.
“What we find is that people find someone in this environment and they are confronted by what they see,” she said.
“They think someone should get in there quickly and fix it up but what you need is a measured response based on a proper assessment.
“The solution may involve attending to the environment but it’s often the case that the person has to have guardianship and be placed.
“You need to be looking at whole picture, not just the clean up if you want a sustainable solution.”
The toolkit was developed with a grant from the City of Sydney.