Backed by new grant funding, the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health intends to officially launch and expand a network dedicated to hoarding resources, as advocates look to introduce more strategies to support stable housing and homelessness prevention efforts.
The Massachusetts Hoarding Resource Network will pursue policy research aimed at strengthening care and advocacy around hoarding conditions, as well as bolstering bilingual training to improve the reach of peer support groups. Members have been meeting informally in recent months, though the two-year grant funding — which totals just shy of $100,000 — will help “formalize” and grow the network, said Jenifer Urff, director of knowledge dissemination and technical assistance at MAMH.
“A key goal for us is the sustainability of this network,” Urff told the News Service on Wednesday. “We know that there are a lot of people across Massachusetts who are doing really good work in this area, including peer support intervention. By formalizing and really embedding the Hoarding Resource Network across the commonwealth, we’re hoping that will ensure that work can continue and expand.”