Million Australians affected by hoarding

ABOUT one million Australians face problems associated with hoarding and squalor, a Brisbane forum has been told.

New figures suggest hoarding is on the rise across the nation and its effects can be devastating, from evictions and homelessness to ill health and neighbourhood disputes.

The forum was shown images of homes metres deep in piles of items residents were unable to part with.

University of NSW psychologist and hoarding expert Jessica Grisham said it was originally estimated that about one per cent of the Australian population faced hoarding-related issues.

But current estimates put the figure as high as five per cent, Dr Grisham said.

She said hoarding was now deemed a separate mental disorder, not a sub-classification of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Hoarders often started in their teens but others began hoarding after traumatic experiences, such as divorce, later in life, Dr Grisham said.

There's also evidence to show hoarding can run in families.

Brisbane City councillor Krista Adams told the forum the issue of hoarding and squalor had not been well recognised and dealt with in Brisbane.

"This is a problem which confronts one million Australians and it is a priority for the (Brisbane City) council," she said.

The council was often involved in neighbourhood disputes and forced clean-ups of properties, which were expensive, Ms Adams said.

Centacare Brisbane community support director Kerri Lancaster said the forum aimed to increase awareness about hoarding and squalor and share the best ways of dealing with it.

"Hoarding and squalor is a severe issue in Queensland affecting not only the people living in such environments, but also their families, carers, neighbourhoods and communities," she said.

Local Government Association Queensland chief executive officer Greg Hallam said the problem was costing millions of dollars statewide.

Mr Hallam said he wouldn't be shocked if the statewide cost was up to $10 million.

The major costs were clean-ups and mediation as well as court costs.

"It doesn't matter whether you are a small council in western Queensland or in Brisbane, hoarding is a real problem," he said.

Mr Hallam said it was a major issue in neighbourhoods across the state whether it was unsightly collections in yards or a threat to public health.

"We generally believe in live and let live but then it can get too much," he added.

The forum continues on Tuesday.

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