Man sleeping under tarp in Boon Lay corridor says he's moving out soon
Hoarding is a disorder in which a person stores an excessive amount of items haphazardly, creating an unmanageable clutter.
For a man in Boon Lay Drive, a family member's hoarding disorder has got so unruly that he has been forced to sleep in the corridor for several months now, according to a netizen who reported the situation to Stomp.
"The whole unit is so cluttered and hoarded that the neighbours are also cramped," he said, adding that three personal mobility devices could be seen outside the flat, raising concerns about risks of fire.
The 40-year-old resident of the cluttered flat suspends a tarpaulin canvas from the ceiling in the corridor and ties the bottom end to the parapet, creating a makeshift shelter at nighttime.
The West Coast Town Council is aware of the situation and told Stomp that it has reached out to the family and is working with various agencies to provide assistance to the family.
"The town council, along with the relevant agencies, will be visiting the affected family again and conducting checks to improve the situation."
The resident of the cluttered HDB unit told Shin Min Daily News that he would be moving out soon. He has been living in the two-room rental flat with his elderly mother and teenage nephew for the past four years.
He claimed that it was his mother who hoarded all the items and he had been trying to get his own rental flat. He had been sleeping in the corridor because there was room for only two people inside the unit.
He added that the surrounding neighbours were sympathetic and understanding when he explained his situation to them. The neighbours Shin Min Daily News spoke to said they did not mind the makeshit shelter.
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