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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Opinion

Our view: Response to problems should be straightforward

The disorder is called compulsive hoarding, and many sufferers keep the disorder a secret from neighbors by piling stuff inside their homes. But sometimes the newspapers, plastic bags and spare parts spill onto the yard. The “collections” become eyesores and fire hazards.

Recently SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. raided the home of a woman on West Sharp Avenue in Spokane. The animal control agency found 85 cats and four dogs, as well as dead cats in varying stages of decomposition. The smell overwhelmed her neighbors. The woman’s attorney didn’t say whether his client suffers from hoarding disease, though he did say she needs “serious, serious help” rather than criminal punishment.

Cat lady stories have evolved into a journalistic cliché, but for neighbors who live near an animal collector or a hoarder of any type, the cliché hits too close to home. Getting a neighbor’s messy, unsafe yard cleaned up takes patience, persistence – and sometimes lots of compassion. But every municipality has mechanisms in place to address messy and hoarding neighbors.

“Our message is you don’t have to move to live in a better neighborhood,” said Jonathan Mallahan, interim director of neighborhood services and code enforcement for the city of Spokane.

His department first urges voluntary compliance, because it has the best chance of keeping harmony within a neighborhood. Fights that begin over a neighbor’s messes, barking dogs, loud parties and other nuisances can escalate into full-blown feuds, pitting neighbors against neighbors. Vandalism and violence can follow. So complaining neighbors are encouraged to first talk directly to the neighbor with an offending “collection” or any other type of nuisance. This sometimes begins the process of change.

Neighborhood councils are another resource. Members know how to use community resources to help a messy neighbor, especially one with a hoarding disorder. There are free dump passes, for instance. And in some cases, Mallahan says, neighbors have volunteered their pickups to help a neighbor clean up.

But when neighbors need the backing of the law to fight the nuisance, each Inland Northwest municipality must make sure the procedure to complain is explained in simple fashion. Complaint forms should be easy to fill out and deliver to the proper person. And complaints must be investigated promptly.

One filthy house and yard can destroy the physical appearance of an entire neighborhood. But the psychological damage can linger long after the mess is cleaned up.