ONLY ON KFOX: Cleanup Begins On Hoarding Problem
Posted: 5:25 pm MDT August 11,2008Updated: 6:37 pm MDT August 11,2008
EL PASO, Texas -- Back in late June, residents complained and KFOX investigated about a hoarding problem in the Upper Valley, but the hoarding didn't stop. On Monday, Adult Protective Services said they finally convinced an elderly woman to clean up her home."She can't live like this. This is a person that needs help," said El Paso Police Department Community Service Officer Curtis Whitener. "I've seen worse, but if you scan your camera back there, you are going to see a junkyard right in the middle of a westside residential neighborhood."From kitchen sinks to hazardous wiring to trash piled five feet high, inside and outside, the work for teenagers from a halfway house is overwhelming."I was devastated. I said, 'We are never going to get finished,' but we're just looking forward to trying to finish it, get it done as quick as we can," said John Aitchison from Wichita Falls, Texas.KFOX was the only station to tell you about the hoarding problem back in late June, when Adult Protective Services said the living conditions were not bad enough to take the woman from her home. But neighbors remained worried."There might be, like I said, a fire hazard, because of the electrical pole that is next to our storage building, and the mosquitoes are real bad, real bad," said neighbor Sonia Smith.The neighbors said there concerned about their home, but their biggest priority was the safety of the elderly woman."I'm glad that somebody is looking out for her, 'Yay!' And thank you guys for doing the story too," said Smith.The goal of the cleanup is to keep the house from being condemned, and give a safe place for the elderly woman to live. Those cleaning up expect the process to take about two weeks, and during that time the elderly woman will not be living in the home.
Previous Stories:
- June 6, 2007: Cluttered Yard Cry For Help, Neighbors Say
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