Sunday, March 7, 2010

Hoarders crowding neighbors

By Renee Nadeau Algarin

The Back Bay hoarder who saw his cluttered home condemned last week is not alone in his addiction, experts said.

“We all do it, but people who hoard do it in spades,” said Gail Steketee, dean of Boston University’s school of social work.

Steketee said that studies in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany have found that hoarders make up between 2 percent and 5 percent of the population. In the Bay State, MassHousing estimates that 2 percent to 3 percent of renters are hoarders..." More