Neighbours complain about stench from hoarders’ flat
For more than 10 years, residents on one of the higher floors of a Housing Board block in Chinatown have put up with the stench of rubbish in the corridor and at the lift lobby.
The smell is from a flat occupied by a couple. The husband is 75 years old and his wife is 65.
When The Straits Times visited the flat in Block 5 Banda Street last Tuesday, with the husband's permission, heaps of rubbish could be seen there.
There was space for only a single-file passageway to the kitchen, which was also filled with rubbish. There were styrofoam food containers, empty instant coffee packets, empty bottles and plastic bags filled with unidentified items.
The husband, reclining on the bed piled with containers, plastic bags and a rice cooker, said in Mandarin: "We are throwing the items away." When asked where the trash had come from, he said his wife had left it there after finishing her meals.
His neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Mr Mohammad, said he felt bad for the couple but was unhappy about the stench. "Whenever I open the door, the smell comes in straightaway. It's not good for them and the neighbours. It's like we are living in a rubbish chute."
Mr Mohammad, 42, who moved in to live with a friend two years ago, said cockroaches appeared frequently from the couple's flat. He was also worried about the fire hazard.
Ms Fion Phua, founder of volunteer platform Keeping Hope Alive, said she and her volunteers visited the flat in April.
She said: "Our volunteers assured Madam Chua they will get her permission before clearing anything, but she said she needed more time to sort out the items that are valuable to her."
Ms Phua said she and the volunteers will visit Block 5 again in a few weeks. She added that a few flats in this block are facing a similar situation.
A Jalan Besar Town Council spokesman said residents are given a grace period to clear items blocking the common corridor. After that, the town council will have them removed.
"This is necessary as obstructions to the common corridor do not just inconvenience other residents but also pose a fire hazard," said the spokesman.
A spokesman for Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens' Consultative Committee said it will continue to work with agencies and community partners to support residents where needed.
Dr Kelvin Ng, a consultant at the Institute of Mental Health, said people hoard for a variety of reasons. He said: "People without mental illness may have a problem discarding items because of experiences with loss or stress that cause them to have an emotional void, which they try to fill with the hoard."
He added that underlying mental health issues may also cause some people to hoard.
Dr Ng advises family members to seek mental health assessment for hoarders, not to stigmatise them and be gentle in their approach. If they make no progress, they should turn to grassroots leaders or community partners for help, he said.
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