I want to refer someone for help with hoarding

If the hoarding behaviour of an individual you work with or support is having a detrimental impact on their physical and/or mental health, putting them at risk of harm or leaving them at risk of eviction, we can help them to declutter and achieve long-lasting behaviour change.

Please send your referral form to makingroom@mrsindependentliving.org.

 FAQs

  • We support communities within North East London so we’re not currently able to accept decluttering referrals for people living outside that area. However, we are developing a training and capacity-building offer for frontline practitioners that we can deliver anywhere in the UK, so please feel free to talk to us about that. Email makingroom@mrsindependentliving.org to find out more.

  • The cost of a decluttering support package varies according to the number of sessions required, which is dependent on the level of clutter. Following an assessment, we will provide an estimate with an anticipated cost. The average number of sessions required is 10, but we accept cases that are a lot shorter and a lot longer. Please contact us to find out about pricing.

  • Funding may come from one or a combination of sources depending who is referring and who else is involved in supporting the person. Common sources of funding include adult social care, mental health services and social housing landlords.

    Where individuals are supported by a number of services, sometimes these services will agree to contribute to meet the cost.

    If you don’t have funding confirmed when you make a referral, we can help you to consider potential sources of funding.

  • Please complete this referral form, completing as much information as possible and send it to makingroom@mrsindependentliving.org.

  • A fully complete referral form is necessary so that we can make a good assessment of risk before our decluttering practitioners attend an assessment visit. If the referral form is incomplete, we may need to contact you for further information, which can delay the assessment visit.

    It is important that you secure the individual’s permission for the referral before sending it to us.

  • We will contact you to request any missing information from the referral form and allocate the case for an assessment visit. The referrer or lead contact person is welcome to join us on the assessment visit if they wish to and the individual being referred consents.

    Following the assessment visit, we will provide an estimate of costs. It is the referrer’s responsibility to seek funding for the case, and work cannot start until funding is confirmed. We will help you think about options if you aren’t sure where funding will come from.

    During this time, we may also liaise with other workers/agencies involved in supporting the person, and aim to establish a relationship with the person themselves.

    Once funding is confirmed, a start date will be confirmed.

  • We can offer the option of a full assessment visit of 2 hours which allows us to build up a full picture of risk, the likelihood of engagement and the outcomes that are important. The full assessment visit is not free and is charged at the usual session rate. Please contact us to find out costs.

  • We can usually start work as soon as funding has been confirmed. If there is likely to be a wait until we have capacity, we will keep you informed of how long this is likely to be.

“I know how much she [client] has valued your support in clearing and organising things at home. She is amazed at how much you have done together and this is really helpful preparation for a future move.”

— Social Worker of a previous client