Health Department Steps In To Resolve Hoarder Situation
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A landlord is trying to get a hoarder out of an apartment in Pittsburgh's Friendship neighborhood and now the Allegheny County Health Department is stepping in.
Ken Goldsmith lives in the apartment and it is filled with garbage piled as high as eight-feet.
Dr. Bruce Dixon, director of the Allegheny County Health Department, is ready to take action through the courts and with mental health experts.
"In this case when he's in someone else's property, I think we need to move a little bit more aggressively," he said.
That aggressive plan will get tenant Ken Goldsmith in front of a judge and get him out.
"We will take him before a magistrate in the next two weeks," Dr. Dixon said. "We will have our social worker try to interact with him. Hopefully that's successful - I can't force that on anyone."
"And hopefully we can come up with a long term plan to give him some insight as to why this is not in his long-term best interest to continue to defile properties like this," he added.
Property owner Connie Lucey is trying to determine how many dumpsters she will need to move this mess.
She has a phonebook-sized file – a history of her legal battles to get Goldsmith out of her apartment. She also points out his 10-year track record of doing this in multiple apartments.
"I just want him to get the help he needs. I want him to get the help. I don't want him to do this to any other tenant – any other landlord," Lucey said.
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