SINGAPORE’S “WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY” APPROACH
Recognising the complexity of hoarding, Singapore has adopted a more integrated strategy through the New Environment Action Team (NEAT). Comprising agencies such as the National Environment Agency, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Agency for Integrated Care and community groups, NEAT coordinates efforts to manage severe hoarding cases in a sustainable and humane manner.
As then Minister for National Development Desmond Lee noted, addressing hoarding must go beyond “decluttering and refreshing homes” to include behavioural change and long-term support.
This is where Singapore’s community mental health services play a vital role. The Community Outreach Teams (CREST) conduct early identification and public education. Community Intervention Teams (COMIT) provide counselling and psychiatric services closer to home.
Together, these services form a continuum of care that can support hoarders throughout their recovery journey.
Still, there are limits. Even with multiple touchpoints, help cannot be imposed on someone who is unwilling or unable to engage. In such cases, enforcement, including court orders or, in extreme situations, eviction, may still be necessary. Nevertheless, it should remain a last resort, not a default strategy.
A CALL FOR COMPASSION AND COORDINATION
The tragic flat fires should not be seen as confirmation that hoarders are beyond help or sympathy. Rather, it should prompt us to strengthen the links between enforcement and mental healthcare, to improve early detection, and to educate the public on hoarding disorder.
Neighbours and family members can play a key role by flagging early warning signs to social services, rather than shaming sufferers of hoarding disorder. Social agencies must be empowered with the resources to stay engaged with complex cases over the long term.
Hoarders are not merely “messy people”. They are often vulnerable individuals living with an untreated and poorly understood illness. If we want to prevent future tragedies, we must respond not only with firmness, but with empathy, coordination, and above all, persistence.
Dr Lim Boon Leng is a psychiatrist at the Gleneagles Medical Centre.
