It’s an issue that has turned deadly at times here in San Antonio. The San Antonio Fire Department tells KENS 5 hoarding is connected to the four fire deaths the city has seen this year.
"Some people would say hoarding, some people would say a lot of stuff stored their house, it makes it very difficult for you to get out of that residence and again we're trying to get in," Chief Charles Hood told reporters at a fatal fire in San Antonio back in March.
Those difficulties are why Chief Charles Hood is proposing a hoarding task force. Details of the initiative are still being ironed out, but for mental health professionals like Bernadette Solórzano any kind of effort to spread awareness is welcomed.
"Maybe they've ignored, 'Oh crazy Uncle Joe he's got a lot of stuff in his house, no one goes over there' but when they really find out this is a fire hazard or there's a problem with safety, it’s no longer eccentric it's like their life is at risk," Dr. Solorzano said.
Chief Hood would not talk on camera about the task force today because it’s still in its exploratory phase but in a statement to KENS 5 he said,
"Hoarding has been a serious, and sometimes deadly, issue when it comes to fires. It's difficult for people to get out of a burning home cluttered by hoarding and it's difficult for firefighters to enter.
Details of the task force are still being discussed; the goal is to ensure help and resources are made available to people identified as hoarding."
It's an effort Dr. Solórzano is happy to see but knows it won't be easy.
"It's like many problems until the individual believes they have a problem they're really not a customer for change," she said. "So it's a challenge."
Chief Hood hopes to have the task force up and running by 2020.