About the ACHSC
The Australian Centre for Hoarding, Squalor and Clutter (ACHSC) is an Australian-first organisation established to promote education, advocacy and best-practice. Hoarding, squalor and clutter are significant issues impacting the community and service sector, with many organisations struggling to meet the substantial need of individuals and families.
Founder, Monica Lord, is a passionate and enthusiastic Social Worker, Social Work lecturer, and respected public speaker with over 15 years direct clinical mental health experience. Like most others in the sector, Monica came to work with hoarding behaviours by accident, and rapidly learned the challenges faced by both helping professionals and individuals.
In 2014, Monica was granted project funding to improve how workers engage people with hoarding behaviours, and in 2017 the hugely popular "Trash or Treasure" workshop was developed from the continued identified community need for quality training in working with hoarding behaviours. Through these activities, it became increasingly apparent that the issues of hoarding, squalor and clutter were not on the radar of decision makers, with services continually being defunded, and support organisations increasingly needing to provide assistance outside their organisations scope of practice.
“We know the issues of hoarding and squalor have significant impacts on a number of levels. For individuals, families and carers, there are impacts on functioning, mental health, physical health, tenancy sustainment, and safety. For the community, there are impacts on the environment, community safety, property values, structural damage, and community resources. None of these impacts can be sufficiently addressed without substantial systems level changes.”
The Australian Centre for Hoarding, Squalor and Clutter was borne from Monica’s experiences supporting helping professionals struggling to engage people with hoarding behaviours within a seriously under funded, and under resourced service sector. The ACHSC aims to make meaningful changes to the issues of hoarding, squalor and clutter by:
Engaging with key stakeholders to ensure concerns within the service sector are heard, and change is advocated for.
Developing practice standards for working with hoarding, squalor and clutter to support helping professionals undertake safe, ethical and respectful interventions.
Advocating for increased funding and mental health support for individuals, recognising hoarding as a distinct category of mental health concern which impacts individual and family functioning, and can compromise tenancy sustainment.
Furthering the research agenda in Australia.
Providing up-to-date education and information to individuals and helping professionals.
