Minnesota Hoarding Task Force in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Things to Know

December 2018 Meeting

I am excited to see everyone at the December Minnesota Hoarding Task Force Meeting!

Our meeting will be held at Professional Rehab Consultants in St. Paul on

Thursday, December 6th, 2018

Meeting will begin at 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Feel free to join us at 6:00 PM to mingle, a dinner option will not be offered so feel free to bring your own.

Thank you all!

If you would like to join our meeting by phone please email a request to mnhtf.org@gmail.com and we will call you at 6:30 once the meeting begins.

The Task Force meets on the first Thursday of the month:

+ To conduct business of the group,

+ To network with each other and visitors,

+ To share educational information in short presentations

NEED HELP WITH HOARDING?

While there is some general information on our website, you may contact us for additional information for a specific situation. We are developing lists of resources and we can share ideas with you also.

Email: mnhtf.org@gmail.com

Confidentiality:

Our volunteers keep your information confidential.

Disclaimer:

The Minnesota Hoarding Task Force (“MNHTF”) does not provide services directly. MNHTF does provide resources and information regarding the general subject of hoarding. In doing so, MNHTF does not endorse, recommend, warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process.

MAKE A DONATION

The Minnesota Hoarding Task Force is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Our expenses currently are minimal. We hope to do bigger things as we have the funds. Find out more about the task force by attending a meeting.

TO MAKE A DONATION, scroll down to the "Help Our Cause" section

on this page.

TEAM APPROACH

One of the important things that we have learned about hoarding is that a team approach is needed to properly deal with any hoarding situation. No 'one professional' can provide all the services and support that a hoarding individual needs.

The team of professionals might include some combination of:

therapist

support group

professional organizer

social worker/case manager

cleanout company

public health

city/county inspector

fire department

Others may also be involved, such as a landlord, church pastor, junk hauler, handyman, cleaning service, or family/friends.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED BY HOARDING?

New numbers on the ground from people who help with hoarding situations now indicate that up to 5% of the population in the United States are hoarding at some level. That means in a community of 10,000 residents, up to 500 people could be hoarding.

Add to that number the people who also live in the same households, family and friends of the person who are hoarding, and their neighbors. That is how many people are affected by hoarding!

Hoarding disorder is a public health and safety issue.

DOES YOUR BUSINESS WORK IN HOARDED HOMES?

As we build our resource lists, we want to cover the entire state of Minnesota. If your business already works in hoarded homes and you would like to be added to our resource lists, please come to a meeting and introduce yourself.

We would like to learn about what you do, and what your experiences are. It is important to us that you can support our mission statement and vision statement.

Hoarding is a mental health disorder, and those who struggle with it must be treated with respect and care.

Recently . . .

Task Force Represented at 'NAMI Walks'

On Sept. 22nd, 2018 3,894 people walked and raised over $454,000 for NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

The NAMI Minnesota mission statement:

"NAMI Minnesota champions justice, dignity, and respect for all people affected by mental illnesses. Through education, support, and advocacy we strive to eliminate the pervasive stigma of mental illnesses, effect positive changes in the mental health system, and increase the public and professional understanding of mental illnesses."

The Minnesota Hoarding Task Force group walked together and wore their new white shirts with our blue logo.

Educating Senior Citizens

Janet Yeats (Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist), Gail Trenholm (Brooklyn Park public health), and Diane Gambrel (professional organizer) gave presentations for Brooklyn Park seniors about hoarding on Oct. 25th, 2017.

Janet defined hoarding and talked about current information and research.

Gail described her role in public health and how she interacts with landlords and renters.

Diane gave tips to the audience on how to work with your loved one who is hoarding, and what not to do.

Minnesota Crime Prevention Association Conference

On October 15th, 2018 Diane Gambrel, professional organizer, and Emily Cheesebrow, resident support specialist, talked about their roles in helping someone who is hoarding. Emily is a volunteer member of the MN Hoarding Task Force. The class was Hoarding Basics: Be Prepared for a Hoarding Situation and the conference was held in Duluth, Minnesota.

Police from across Minnesota were in attendance, many of whom host local landlord groups in their area.

Minnesota Hoarding Task Force