December 01, 2023

#119 Homelessness and hoarding with Dr Jan Eppingstall of Stuffology

45 minutes

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In today's episode, Dr Jan Eppingstall and I will be diving into a topic that is rarely discussed - homelessness and hoarding. We will explore the limited research available on the connection between these two issues and the complex factors that contribute to both. We uncover the connections between trauma, loss, and mental health issues that can lead to both homelessness and hoarding behaviours as well as the instincts associated with hoarding and the difficulties in interrupting these instincts.

Homelessness and hoarding: connections and similarities

Lack of hoarding-related academic articles

Homelessness can be caused by hoarding

Lack of support, finger pointing, no understanding

Excessive stuff brings hope for normal future

A sense of safety motivates us to accumulate possessions

The physical barrier between us and the chaotic outside world is important

Excess stuff can be seen as hope for a better future

Society pressures us to make a perfect home

Epigenetics, trauma, and genes influence hoarding behaviour

Poverty pushes some to become hoarders

Humans want to share during crises

Neurodivergence, brain injuries, schizophrenia

Homelessness and hoarding have similarities, including trauma, mental health issues, and fear of scarcity

Possessions may be portable but excessive saving behaviour persists

Homelessness caused by hoarding; trauma leads to hoarding in new home

Need to ask "What do you need?"

The comfort of material possessions

Possible evidence of neurodivergence or organic brain injuries, schizophrenia, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder

The importance of asking the right questions and providing appropriate support

Approach problems from various angles and keep iterating to find what works

Short-term focus of government hinders this

Homeless individuals trading stuff and the instinct to hoard when they find secure housing

Difficulty in interrupting the primal hoarding instinct

Strategies for interrupting the instinct, such as calculations and sharing with others in need

Need for a holistic approach and joined-up thinking to address hoarding and homelessness effectively

Lack of resources and understanding to support hoarders once they are housed

Treating hoarders with dignity and respect

Importance of appropriate questions and support due to the complexity of hoarding behaviours

Lack of support and assistance in addressing the root causes of homelessness

Sense of control and safety that possessions offer

Importance of addressing the additional traumas faced by homeless individuals

Study finding higher hoarding prevalence (18.5%) among homeless individuals compared to the general population (1.5-5%)

Oversampling technique used to study rare subpopulations

Overlapping risk factors of hoarding and homelessness (trauma, grief, brain injury, neurodivergence)

Sense of safety and need to create a home driving the accumulation of possessions

Scarcity mindset and stockpiling items due to homelessness

Epigenetic processes potentially turning on genes associated with hoarding as a coping mechanism

Poverty and uncertainty about basic necessities contributing to hoarding behaviors

Importance of listening to frontline practitioners and individuals in order to understand their needs

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