WINNIPEG — When firefighters struggled to douse a blaze Monday, it was suspected there was a much greater problem lurking inside.
Neighbours suspect the man who lived in the Kensington Street home was a hoarder.
READ MORE: Firefighters’ job made difficult by suspected hoarding at St. James blaze
“He liked to gather up papers,” eighbour Lila Nicklin said. “He never ever took out his garbage.”
Fire investigators had to shovel their way into the home and could only determine the fire started in the second floor bathroom, but they didn’t know how.
RAW: Winnipeg Platoon Chief breaks down response to Kensington Street fire
“It was so preventable,” Renee Greyeyes, Executive Director of the OCD Centre of Manitoba said. “A fire shouldn’t have happened, that gentleman could have been helped by us.”
Greyeyes fears more people won’t get the help they need because their hoarding prevention program called Buried in Treasures, is on the verge of being cancelled due to the lack of funding.
“We’re currently receiving zero funding for compulsive hoarding so it’s dragging our other services down,” Greyeyes said. “We’ve had to cut services for compulsive obsessive disorder.”
WATCH: Members of OCD Manitoba talk funding and the rising problem of hoarding
They get over 300 calls a year from people dealing with hoarding, currently 79 people are on a waiting list to be assessed. They’ve been waiting for two years.
“There’s only myself that goes out to the homes at this point we need more help, more volunteers,” Lindsay Bacala said.
When she’s not working as a social worker, Bacala volunteers for the hoarding program, helping hoarders de-clutter and ensure they don’t relapse.
“There’s such a big stigma associated with hoarding that their embarrassed to even have friends or family around,” Bacala said.
The problem won’t go away but the help might. Their hoarding program could end in January.
“It’s frightening to know we won’t be here for them,” Greyeyes said.
She’ll meet with the Health Minister soon to ask for funding. Greyeyes says if they don’t get the money they fear the problem will only get worse.
RELATED: Hoarding as a mental disorder: New rights for tenants aren’t sitting well with landlords
WATCH: Lorraine Nickel’s broadcast story from June 16:
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