We are looking forward to seeing you this Thursday!
The next meeting of the Orange County Task Force on Hoarding is Thursday, April 16, 2015 from 9:00am-10:30am, at the Council on Aging, 2001 E. 4th Street, Suite 106, Santa Ana, CA 92705.  (Meetings are monthly on the 3rd Thursday.)

Hoarding Conference and Symposium this month!

Thursday, April 30, 2015 - Hoarding Conference
Friday, May 1, 2015 - Symposium for Clinicians

Register for our upcoming conference and symposium! There are spaces left. The link for more information and to register is http://ochoardingtaskforce10thanniversary.eventbrite.com. Please share the conference with people that you think could benefit! Space is limited.

Thursday Conference: 5 Hours of Continuing Education Units available for BBS Licensed Psychologists, Counselors and Social Workers, CACEO Members, Attorneys and Veterinary Medical Professionals.

Friday Symposium: 6 Hours of Continuing Education Units available for BBS Licensed Psychologists, Counselors and Social Workers.

Register today! http://ochoardingtaskforce10thanniversary.eventbrite.com.

Join us in supporting the Mental Health Association of OC with Beer, Tacos, and Live Music!
  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-sabroso-craft-beer-taco-festival-tickets-15678397509

If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email to ochoardingtaskforce@gmail.com.

Hoarding in the NEWS:

Upper Cape Hoarding Support Group To Begin In Falmouth
CAPE COD, CT- Falmouth Human Services with the Cape Cod Hoarding Task Force is starting a support group this month for residents of the Upper Cape who have compulsive collecting, saving and hoarding tendencies…Ms. Cardeira is also co-chairman of the Falmouth Hoarding Task Force, a collaboration of town departments established under the guidance of the Cape Cod Hoarding Task Force which was founded in 2010 to address this issue in the Cape and islands communities.
Ms. Cardeira said last year the Falmouth task force handled about 10 to 12 cases in the community. “The best way to work on this is to bring people from different disciplines to work with families,” Ms. Cardeira said.
…For example, the curriculum uses a technique called the downward arrow where members will learn to break down the thought process of compulsive collecting by asking themselves a series of questions about their habit. “It’s about making choices and making decisions as opposed to compulsiveness, which isn’t really a decision,” Ms. Cardeira said…“Peer-type support seems to be the most beneficial type of program,” Ms. Woods said. “We are not looking for perfection,” Ms. Cardeira said. “We want people to feel comfortable in their own space. Everyone gets to set their own pace and level of how much stuff they want and can enjoy.”
Read more at 
http://www.capenews.net/falmouth/news/upper-cape-hoarding-support-group-to-begin-in-falmouth/article_cf72053c-c98b-11e4-a18a-6fc0102084dd.html

Newly Approved Bill Defines Animal Hoarding
PHOENIX, AZ - In light of several recent animal hoarding cases in Arizona, the state senate approved House Bill 2150 on Tuesday. It was created to officially define and create stricter penalties for hoarding of animals such as domestic cats and dogs. But the bill has some opponents questioning what that means for livestock, which are classified as working animals. Senate President Andy Biggs of Gilbert said while this bill focuses on domestic animals, livestock and horses are still protected. 
Read more at 
http://kjzz.org/content/117897/newly-approved-bill-defines-animal-hoarding

More Than 2 Dozen Sick Cats Rescued From Home In Santa Ana Hoarding Investigation
SANTA ANA, CA -  A Santa Ana woman faced criminal charges Tuesday after dozens of sick cats were removed from what authorities said were deplorable living conditions inside her home…Officials explained the hoarding situation and filth inside the home was so bad that it caused the cats to have upper-respiratory problems, eye infections and left them covered in fleas.
Read more at 
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/03/17/more-than-2-dozen-sick-cats-rescued-in-santa-ana-hoarding-investigation/

Firefighters Struggle With Hoarding In Natick House Fire
NATICK, MA – Natick firefighters say they struggled to put out a three-alarm fire Thursday because the house was filled with so much junk…Two people inside escaped unharmed. Firefighters said they had problems putting out hot spots because there was so much hoarding inside the home, according to Natick Fire chief Rick White.
He said they couldn’t move around and could have been trapped because of all the junk. Items on the first floor were stacked halfway up the windows, as well as in the basement and second floor, said the chief. A Framingham firefighter hurt his knee and was taken to Metrowest Medical Center. There’s no word yet on how the fire started.
Read more at 
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/03/12/firefighters-struggle-with-hoarding-in-natick-house-fire/

Hoarding: A treatable problem's hidden side
NATICK, MA - Treatment, local experts on hoarding say, is key to helping people overcome a problem that often leaves them isolated and makes their homes unsafe. “Hoarding is a mental disorder,” said Lynn Faust of the Marlborough Community Development Corporation. “It’s very difficult for people who are hoarders just to get rid of their stuff. There needs to be some therapy.”Hoarding came to the forefront in Natick when firefighters responded to a March 12 Speen Street fire. Two people who lived in the home escaped unharmed, but firefighters had to fight the fire from outside the building because there was too much clutter inside to safely move around. Natick Public Health Director Jim White said town officials were not aware of the apparent hoarding in the home that caught on fire.He said the town has a task force, including health and social services officials that helps people who struggle with hoarding. But the problem is not one that can be spotted from the street, he said. "Ninety-nine percent of them, you would never know (from driving by)," White said.
Read more at
http://natick.wickedlocal.com/article/20150327/NEWS/150327068

Union County Humane Society closed while staff process dozens of dogs from ‘hoarding situation’
MAYNARDVILLE, TN – The Union County Humane Society was closed Saturday as staff worked to process over 100 dogs seized from a home.
They say all of those dogs were crammed inside a one thousand square foot home.
Michael Nichols, 62 and Teresa Nichols, 57, were arrested Thursday and charged with animal cruelty.
An anonymous tip to the Union County Humane Society complained about a bad odor coming from a house on Raccoon Valley Road.
Tammy Rouse, executive director of the humane society says she’s never seen anything like this. Staff found dogs that were well cared for, but extremely crowded. Crews are calling this a “hoarding situation, and said many of the female dogs were pregnant or recently gave birth. We caught up with Mike Nichols as his dogs were being taken from his home. He says the dogs comforted his wife. “It brought her such tremendous joy; she’s named every little one of these animals and loved them. She’s a basket case right now and it’ll take forever to get over this,” said Nichols. The couple doesn’t want to see their dogs go, but Michael understands why they have to leave.
“They got just as much a right to live and carry on as anybody else and hopefully now they’ll have a chance to have a life, a different life, a chance with a different family but we became so attached to them,” said Nichols. Nichols says for punishment, he and his wife get to keep only two dogs, they have to get mental evaluations, and their home will also be regularly checked over the next year.
Read more at
http://wate.com/2015/03/14/union-county-humane-society-closed-while-staff-process-dozens-of-dogs-from-hoarding-situation/

Hoarding conditions’ slow Gresham firefighters

GRESHAM, OR  — A fire broke out at a Gresham house Tuesday, but firefighters had to fight the blaze from the outside because the house was filled with contents. Firefighters said ‘hoarding conditions’ within the home initially held them back from being able to search for occupants inside. They later found out the house, 17631 NE Flanders, was empty when the fire began. Firefighters had to take windows out of the house and cut holes in the roof. Fire officials said the blaze was caused by combustibles that were too close to baseboard heaters.

Read more at
http://koin.com/2015/03/31/contents-in-gresham-home-slow-firefighters/