Granada Hills Hoarding House Filling Up With Belongings Again
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- A house in Granada Hills that was cleaned out after extreme hoarding conditions is starting to fill up again, and residents nearby are concerned.
Piles of trash and belongings were starting to collect around the house on Bircher Street, bringing rats and roaches along.
Neighbors have weighed in on the conditions and how it impacts their living experience.
"It's frustrating. If it weren't for your diligence and your crew, I don't think anything would have been done in the first place," said neighbor James Eric.
The city of L.A. spent $12,000 hauling out dumpsters full of items and cleaning up the property, but since then, conditions have worsened.
"Every time, they know there is a city inspection coming up, they load up U-Hauls and RVs, and take it all away, and then the stuff all comes back," said neighbor Les Claypool.
The homeowner was in court Wednesday, facing several code violations.
Councilman John Lee, who told CBS Los Angeles that the situation here "is not acceptable" and that the homeowner has refused assistance when his office has offered it.
Lee went on to say "these residents are in need of help, but we do not have the ability to compel them to receive the assistance they need. Though adjudication of this matter lies with the courts, I will continue to seek solutions - including unconventional ones - for the adjacent neighbors who have endured this situation for far too long."
The homeowner is due in court again on December 2. Residents say they'll be in attendance too to share their concerns.
Experts say people who struggle with hoarding will continue to do so until they get adequate mental health service, saying sometimes those struggling will collect even more and at a faster rate once a cleanup is forced on them.
"I was concerned when I saw them just picking up huge chunks of the things and putting them in dump trucks and taking it away," said licensed therapist Kati Morton. "There's a lot of emotional attachment to each and every one of those possessions... To you and I, it might look like garbage but to them, there's so many meanings attached to every bottlecap, every newspaper and every item."
Morton said that the resurgence of the hoarding is not surprising and assumed that the sudden removal of the items caused even more trauma to the owner of the house.
"Having those items around them makes them feel safe and comforted," Morton said. "From the outside looking in, we can see chaos and mess but for them it's soothing. It feels good."
Click here for the for the full interview with Kati Morton.