| During the past decade several community/agency task forces formed to address the complex issues presented by compulsive hoarding cases that come to public attention. Such task forces provide a societal-level intervention for the most severe cases of hoarding. Theory regarding the social construction of problems grounds the current qualitative study of five U.S. hoarding task force sites. These sites were selected for their diversity in purpose, in approaches to hoarding intervention and in community geography, composition and resources. The case study methodology for this project relies on multiple forms of data collection that include semi-structured key informant interviews with task force chairpersons, analysis of task force documents, small group interviews of task force members and participant observation by the investigator of task force meetings.;Reflecting the complexity of compulsive hoarding which spans personal, private, and public domains, this study captures the perspectives of public and private sector service providers such as mental health, housing, social services, public health agencies, private family service agencies, as well as community enforcement organizations including police, fire, legal systems and animal control. The project examines the process by which task forces organize and operate, as well as the practice and policy changes that emerge from hoarding task force collaboratives. The task force sites studied demonstrate the viability of this response mechanism for addressing cases of hoarding. The task force mission, its membership composition and the ways it approaches intervention contribute to the construction of hoarding as a social problem. Study findings include: (1) the social work profession can expand its role in hoarding task force leadership; (2) participation on a task force influences hoarding practice and policy decisions made by member agencies; and (3) case consultation is a primary function of hoarding task forces. Implications for practice and future research include: (1) expanding how social workers use their professional training and skill set to become leaders of task force efforts; (2) using task forces as a mechanism for advancing community hoarding policy; and (3) considering how task forces may be a useful multi-sector practice and policy mechanism for other social problems. |
