Wichita / Sedgwick County, Kansas Hoarding Coalition

Help is Available

To make a report or ask for help, call:

Department on Aging Intake Number (60 years of age and older): 660-5144
*Adult Protective Services Intake Number (59 years of age and younger): 337-6791

*Consumer must be disabled and seen as someone who is unable to protect their best interest.

What is Hoarding?

Definition of Hoarding:

The acquisition of and failure to discard items that appear to be useless or of little value. It is manifested in excessive possessions in the home interfering with the normal use of living space and furniture, and is accompanied by significant interference or distress. – Cristina M. Sorrentino, PhD, MSW

Definition of Animal Hoarding:

The accumulation of a large number of animals, overwhelming that person's ability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation and veterinary care.

Coalition History

Central Plains Area Agency on Aging established the Wichita/Sedgwick County Hoarding Coalition to address issues of hoarding in our community. The Hoarding Coalition is made up of a diverse group of professionals that includes social workers, aging service professionals, mental health professionals and health care professionals.

Other partners include representatives from the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County offices of animal control, housing authority, central inspection, code enforcement, legal representatives, as well as Meals on Wheels, law enforcement and professional organizers. The members of the Coalition are working together to combat the growing issue of hoarding and the effects on older adults, families and the community.

Coalition Goals

The Coalition is an ongoing interagency team that seeks to build and maintain a "collaborative effort of diverse community agencies seeking to provide intervention, education and follow-up support for hoarding behavior affecting the health and safety of the individual, the family and the community.” The Coalition has established eligibility criteria, detailed procedures, decision points, and responsibilities of individual agencies.

The primary goals of the Coalition:

To provide an organized community response to individuals exhibiting hoarding behaviors who are identified as self-neglecting.
To reduce risk to the client and the community and assure compliance with appropriate building and property codes.

Mission

To create and maintain a collaborative effort of diverse community agencies seeking to provide intervention, education, and follow-up support for hoarding behavior affecting the health and safety of the individual, the family and the community.