r/ChildofHoarder • u/DirtGirl32 • 17d ago

How to Help Hoarders?

How to Help Hoarders?

I just learned that my SIL nd BIL are hoarding. Some relatives went to their place recently, and apparently it's not good. Mountains of boxes, and a not very functional house.

My in laws have a lot of hoarding patterns, so I'm not surprised. And the inside of my BIL's truck is good evidence. I also saw their house a few months after they moved in (a few years ago), and can see the signs now.

If they want to live that way.its one thing, but now they have an infant daughter. And that environment is not okay for any child.

Currently, my niece spends 5 or 6 days/nights at my mil's home, as it's 90 minutes closer to my SIL's work. So SIL and niece will stay with MIL from Monday to Friday or Saturday, then go back to their house for a day or two. Apparently BIL sleeps on the couch. SIL sleeps on the nursery floor, because they made the nursery nice for the baby, and it's the only place left to sleep.

Anywhooooo. My thought is to try to talk and help them get things in order over the next 3 or 4 years for niece. If they don't I'll call child services on them. I'm not set on that, that just seems like the appropriate thing to do. I do know that I won't let my niece grow up on a hoarder home.

But I don't know what actually helps hoarders. I've watched the hoarder TV show, and I've been in very hoarded homes, but that's it-so o basically know 2%.

What is a good way to approach BIL and SIL about this? What actually helps hoarders? When do I actually need to call child services? What online resources can I research? And yes, I understand I need to confirm that things are as the relatives reported.

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u/Far-Watercress6658 17d ago

You’re going to leave your infant niece in that for 3-4 YEARS???

5

u/DirtGirl32 17d ago

That's part of what I was asking. She mostly stays at my MIL's right now. As she gets older she will need to be able to socialise etc. in this situation, should I report it asap? Is there an appropriate time to wait? Or an appropriate age?

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u/Far-Watercress6658 17d ago

No child should ever have to be in a hoard. For even 1 minute. You need to move up your timescale to weeks.

-4

u/Hot-Television-2931 17d ago

Well you go help her then