Across the state, Adult Protective Services programs regularly encounter elders and adults with disabilities that are in distress and at risk of homelessness as a result of severe hoarding and cluttering behaviors. Local communities are negatively impacted when vulnerable adults live in hazardous conditions or when these individuals are evicted. In collaboration with local stakeholders and the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership, San Francisco’s APS program tested an intervention strategy focused on teaching vulnerable adults de-cluttering skills and on promoting stable housing. The County of Orange has a Hoarding and Cluttering Task Force that facilitates collaborative intervention strategies. This presentation discussed innovative ways that human services agencies can address this critical issue.

Preventing Evictions of Vulnerable Adults: Addressing Hoarding and Cluttering Disorder through Skill-Building and Collaboration

• Stacy Lindberg, Adult Protective Services Program Manager, Orange County Social Services Agency
• Jill Nielsen, Adult Protective Services Program Director, San Francisco Human Services Agency