Centerline – Members of a Warren church and other members of the Macomb County community rally behind a Center Line resident who is facing charges of hoarding animals.
Elizabeth Alexander of Center Line said after discovering a post about her home on social media that generated more than 760 comments, she reached out to her church, Harvest Time Christian Fellowship, for help.
About 20 people from Harvest Time in Warren, including about six teenagers, volunteered to help her at her Sterling Street home this week, throwing things into dumpsters or otherwise helping with the cleanup, said Curtiss Ostosh, the church’s pastor. Garbage bags filled Alexander’s front yard on Friday, along with items Alexander wanted to donate.
“Thousands of our church members came and surrounded her with love, help and support,” he said, “because that is our job – to be a blessing.”
Alexander, who received a ticket for property maintenance violations earlier this year and said mental health issues played a role in her daycare work, was touched by the help from Ostosh and the other volunteers.
“Knowing that I’m not alone is incredible, and as Pastor Curtiss tells me, ‘People love me. I’m loved. I’m loved,'” she said.
Alexander said some of her neighbors have also helped her by bringing her garbage bags and rubber gloves, among other things. She said some businesses or organizations have also donated garbage containers for the effort.
Center Line City Manager Dennis Champine said 80% of the trash and debris has been removed, noting, “We’re definitely seeing progress.”
What the City of Center Line says
Champine said the city received several complaints from neighbors in May about a maintenance problem at Alexander’s home, and as a result, the city issued her a misdemeanor ticket.
“The situation was not as bad then as it was in early August,” he said. “However, the situation continued to deteriorate while the city waited to get before the judge” for the hearing.
He said it could be described as “a pretty serious hoarding situation.”
Although much of the area has been cleared, the city still requires them to appear in court, he said. The court date for the summons is Sept. 4. He said the city’s goal is to “achieve compliance.”
“Once we have that, the city will certainly work with the property owner to get the ticket adjourned and hopefully eliminated in the long run,” he said.
Alexander tells her story
Alexander attributed the hoarding to mental health issues. She said she suffers from hoarding disorder and ADHD. She said she also suffered a stroke in the past two years and suffers from memory loss.
“Sometimes when I went to the store, I forgot that I had bought something the day before,” she said.
She said some people who hoard do so to “fill a void with things instead of, you know, filling it with God’s love.”
“And that’s exactly what I’m doing now,” she said.
