Hoader turns life around with help from landlord

A lady from Skegness who admits that hoarding in her flat had become out of control has spoken about how her landlord.helped her turn her life around.
Before - kitchen.Before - kitchen.
Before - kitchen.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the situation had “become horrible” and had been too frightened to ask for help.

The flat had become overrun with belongings including newspapers, books and other items. Sofas were not able to be sat on, the kitchen was almost out of bounds and the bedroom was not able to be used for sleeping.

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But after a housing officer from her housing association stepped in alongside the support of local charities to transform the flat, the lady’s health and wellbeing has improved.

After - kitchenAfter - kitchen
After - kitchen

She said: “It has become horrible. It all escalated from about 2009 when my partner died and like everything else, you don’t see it coming.

“I was regularly going to look after mum and dad and I would come back tired and think ‘I’ll do that tomorrow’ and over time – and I am mortified to say it – the flat got more and more out of control.

“I’ve always loved this flat but I was heartily ashamed. I got to the stage where I was so ashamed, I daren’t tell my parents and mum was livid when she eventually found out.

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“After dad passed away, everything escalated out of control as I was going to help mum more regularly. The number of times I used to come back home and could have cried was huge.”

Before - lounge.Before - lounge.
Before - lounge.

The issue came to the attention of Longhurst Group, the lady’s landlord, after a contractor was unable to gain access to the loft area and it was reported to the Housing Team.

The lady added: “I couldn’t see a way out. I didn’t know what to do.

“The embarrassment stopped me from asking for help. I thought about asking Longhurst Group but I was frightened to do that. I tried to ignore it.

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“When I looked at it and thought about if there was a fire, I knew I would be stuck. I was wondering ‘what have I done?’

After - Lounge.After - Lounge.
After - Lounge.

“That is when Longhurst Group did step in and helped me massively.”

Longhurst Group owns and manages more than 23,000 homes across the Midlands and East of England and employs around 1,100 colleagues.

Housing Officer Mark Lancaster arranged for some help from local charities to come and clear the flat and between them, managed to make it a much nicer place for the lady to live.

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The lady added: “I can now happily walk out the door and know I am not a fire risk.

Before - bathroom.Before - bathroom.
Before - bathroom.

“I can now go to mum’s with a happier heart and when I come back, I can eat what I want, watch what I want and I am extremely grateful.”

Mark added: “We are all about wanting to help people sustain their tenancies and improving lives.

“Now, this lady can get to her bedroom and sleep in her bed, which has had a positive impact on her health, and she can also get in her bathroom now too.

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“There are no limitations for her and her wellbeing has improved as a result.

“We worked closely with local charities in this case and we are pleased to see the positive impact it has had on her.”

Editor's Notes

After - bathroom.After - bathroom.
After - bathroom.

Click here to access a series of photographs from before and after the flat clearance.

About Longhurst Group

Longhurst Group is one of the largest housing associations across the Midlands and East of England with more than 23,000 homes, providing care and support services and employing more than 1,100 people.

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One of the UK's leading developers, the Group was rated in the top 25 of Inside Housing's Biggest Builders survey 2019 and is a Strategic Partner of Homes England.

The Group owns and manages properties in almost 50 local authorities, including the following areas: Birmingham, Boston, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Peterborough, Rutland, Staffordshire, Walsall, Warwickshire.

In 2019, the Group launched its Improving Lives 2025 strategy, which outlines how it will continue to provide great homes, services and care and support where they are needed most, while developing integrated solutions to the housing and social care crises.

By focusing efforts into two clear areas, the Improving Lives strategy is supporting customers and colleagues with their health and wellbeing and helping them improve their economic resilience.

For more information, visit longhurst-group.org.uk or follow us on Twitter: @LonghurstGroup

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