Woking Borough Council appoints Hoarding Officer | News centre

Earlier this year, Woking Borough Council appointed Lee Jolliffe as its Hoarding Officer, a newly created pilot role funded by North West (NW) Surrey Alliance, and the first of its kind in Surrey, to provide dedicated support for residents in the borough of Woking.

Working collaboratively with health and care partners and Surrey Fire and Rescue teams, people who may have hoarding difficulties are identified and Lee is then able to work with them to help create a safer living space and listen to other challenges they may be facing.

Hoarding is considered a significant problem if the amount of clutter acquired interferes with everyday living – for example if a person is unable to use their kitchen or bathroom or cannot access rooms or if the clutter is causing significant distress or negativity affecting the quality of life of the person or their family.

Lee talks to people about mental wellbeing, fire safety and any general struggles they have day to day due to their hoarding. Lee takes a very personalised approach and aims to work with individuals to adapt and make small changes that improve their quality of life. Sometimes he will de-clutter and move items around himself, to create a safer living space but on some occasions when large items need to be moved, a team will assist.

Many people with hoarding difficulties have already been helped since Lee has been in the role. In one instance, Lee was working with a resident who had no heating, hot water and was living in extremely difficult conditions during the winter months. Through the support team at the council, Lee was able to get in touch with the resident and was able to find them alternative accommodation over the Christmas period, whilst he worked on getting the heating back on in the home and created a much safer space.

Lee has also been able to facilitate quicker discharge for patients that are ready to return home from hospital but require some additional support. In one case, Lee replaced a patient’s sofa, tested and installed new smoke alarms and created safe passageways in and out of the property so they were able to come home to a safe living environment.

Lee finds his work incredibly rewarding, particularly when he can see that he has made a difference. Lee said:

I really enjoy seeing the progress with people, and to see someone having a smile on their face because of something I’ve been able to help them with. It’s a great feeling to know that you have helped improve someone’s living conditions and that they have a safer home.

 

This role has been funded by NW Surrey Alliance for an initial two-year period. Lee and the team at Woking Borough Council hope to demonstrate the benefits this brings to local people to support the longer-term objective of introducing a similar role across the other NW Surrey borough councils.  

Find out more about Woking Borough Council’s Hoarding Services