SACO — The city of Saco is seeking funding for a program to provide treatment and support to compulsive hoarders.

The Mayo Clinic defines hoarding disorder as “a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them.” A person with a hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of items, and will excessively accumulate items, regardless of value.

Hoarding often creates cramped living quarters and can make some rooms unusable. It can impact the safety of a home by creating a fire hazard or the risk of injury or being trapped by falling or shifting items, and can also lead to build up of food and trash, causing unsanitary conditions. 

People with hoarding disorders may save items because they believe they will be needed in the future, they feel safer when surrounded by items they have saved, the items have emotional significance and remind them of a person or pet or of happier times or they don’t want to waste anything, according to the Mayo Clinic.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, hoarding occurs in 2 to 5 percent of the population.

“It’s a problem in every community,” said City Administrator Kevin Sutherland at Monday night’s City Council meeting. “Just sending code enforcement is not a sustainable solution.” 

The city has applied for a collective total of about $104,000 in grants from the United Way of Greater Portland, Maine Community Development Block Grant and the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation to completely fund the program without using tax payer money.

The proposed program would include a partnership with mental health organization Shalom House. Through the proposed partnership, the Shalom House Hoarding Program would provide training for first responders and code enforcement staff as well as volunteers.

Eric Grainger, a hoarding specialist with Shalom House, said at Monday’s meeting that hoarding is a very complex mental health disorder. Grainger said the Shalom House program works with hoarders to increase insight and help them accept services. He said it addresses hoarding “not from a ‘you need to get rid of your stuff’ point of view” but rather as a “health and safety issue,” working on matters such as how to reduce fire hazards and how to maintain a clear pathway for emergency personnel. 

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.