Massachusetts Hoarding Resource Network Strengthens Supports for Homelessness Prevention

Unaddressed hoarding poses a significant risk for housing insecurity and major challenges to avoiding and solving homelessness among older adults affected by the condition. The severity of hoarding generally increases with each decade of life and is correlated among older adults with increased fall risks, medical risks, social isolation, and housing loss. Among people who are homeless, as many as one in five have been diagnosed with a hoarding condition.

Investing in homelessness prevention strategies and providing comprehensive support systems not only benefits individuals but also strengthens communities. A commitment to preventing homelessness and offering robust community support is an investment in the well being and stability of both individuals and the community at large.

Building on the work of the MA Statewide Hoarding Taskforce, MA Hoarding Resource Network (MHRN) will lead advocacy, technical assistance, and public education to strengthen hoarding support and expand homelessness prevention for older adults in diverse communities across the Commonwealth.

To accomplish these goals, MHRN will bring together diverse stakeholders including people with lived experience of hoarding and their families; professionals working in housing, aging, behavioral health, human services, public safety, and code enforcement; and researchers and academic experts to collaborate for broad environmental and systemic change.

Cassie Cramer, a licensed social worker and Certified Peer Specialist, Project Director of the Older Adult Behavioral Health Network (OABHN) and longtime peer, disability, and aging services advocate, will coordinate MHRN’s work, which includes:

Policy Research and Advocacy: MHRN will conduct a landscape analysis to identify system strengths, gaps, and opportunities to build a more effective, coordinated models of care and inform MHRN's advocacy, strategic plan, and activities.

Culturally/Linguistically Responsive Support: Peer led approaches are essential to overcoming stigma and shame associated with hoarding. MHRN will train bilingual facilitators to lead peer support groups in Gateway Cities to expand the capacity of organizations to address cultural and linguistic barriers to care.

Education: MHRN's education efforts will help build self-advocacy skills across systems by increasing awareness of tenant rights and reasonable accommodations for people with invisible disabilities. Trainings will also build the capacity of responders such as Elder Protective Services, home care workers, inspectional services, and Councils on Aging to support people with hoarding conditions through reducing stigma and teaching interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for hoarding, sorting, and discarding.

To become involved with MHNR or any of its initiatives, visit our webpage or contact Cassie Cramer at: cassiecramer@mamh.org