Woodlands hoarder sleeping outside home: Items last cleared in August, town council says

Her clutter may have been cleared several times, but this elderly hoarder keeps collecting items.

A 60-year-old woman has been sleeping in the corridor outside her own flat along Woodlands Drive for 10 years, unable to enter her own home after it was filled to the brim with hoarded items, Shin Min Daily News reported last week. 

She has been accumulating objects such as clothes, plastic bottles and suitcases in her home for over 20 years, resulting in an overflow that has even blocked off some parts of the corridor she rests in.

Her neighbours have mixed reactions to her hoarding habits — some view the clutter as a safety risk and fire hazard while others feel that "she's gentle" and "doesn't disturb" them, so they treat her kindly.

However, feedback received from residents has led the Sembawang Town Council to clear the woman's stash in early August, 8world reported on Tuesday (Sept 3).

Prior to this, residents alerted the town council to the matter on at least twice.

After receiving resident feedback on Feb 14, town council staff arranged for the clearance of the woman's clutter on Feb 17. They also reminded her not to obstruct the corridor.

Last August, they engaged a service provider to remove the items, and informed the elderly woman and her family about the importance of keeping the corridor clear.

The town council told 8world that they've been working with a contractor to remove junk items regularly, adding that they are also working with the housing board and the Agency for Integrated Care to resolve this matter.

ALSO READ: 'Severe hoarding issues': Elderly man turns Henderson Crescent HDB block corridor into 'junkyard'

khooyihang@asiaone.com

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.