KCTV5 Investigation: Cost Of Hoarding

FAIRWAY, Kan. -- The issue of hoarding has exploded onto the scene recently with a popular cable television program showing homes filled floor to ceiling with things like trash, food and animal waste.

KCTV5 chief investigative reporter Dana Wright went beyond the shocking images and looked into the mental disorder and what it is costing viewers in their neighborhoods.

Wright said the investigation found hoarding is a drain on local communities that goes well beyond the cost of simply cleaning up homes that are filled with hoarded items. The investigation revealed that hoarding is happening in all parts of town.

KCTV5 got a peek inside a hoarder's house in Kansas City just weeks after nuisance complaints brought a cleanup crew to the front door. While city contractors arrived and hauled off trash, cars and stacks of debris littering the outside of the property, law prohibits them from touching anything on the inside. KCTV5 was allowed inside where virtually every exit was blocked by clutter and trash..." More & video