The UCSD CREST Community Program is the only free public therapy program for older adults with hoarding in San Diego County. In the past 4 years, we have served over 175 vulnerable older adults, reducing hoarding symptoms, preventing evictions and homelessness, increasing everyday functioning, and improving quality of life.

Despite its success, the future of the CREST Community Program is in jeopardy due to an unanticipated withdrawal of funding. We need your help to keep this valuable program open.

Hoarding disorder affects 1 in 20 adults -- that’s more than 150,000 individuals in our County. Hoarding is particularly prevalent in older adults and increases with age. Governor Newsom’s recent initiative to protect and expand services for vulnerable older adults sets a goal for maintaining the mental health services CREST provides. Losing this program at this time represents more than a loss to our currently enrolled clients, it represents a significant loss to the San Diego County continuum of care, and to the community as a whole.

The cost of hoarding disorder to County services is unsustainable without the critical mental healthcare CREST provides to break the cycle of hoarding. The CREST program needs time to establish a sustainable funding model to provide ongoing services. We are seeking protective bridge funding to ensure vulnerable adults will not abruptly lose necessary mental health care during this particularly stressful and isolating time.

Please lend us your support by signing this petition for emergency funding to keep serving older adults with hoarding disorder as we establish a self-sustaining funding model.

We are open to any suggestions, ideas, or partnerships to keep this valuable program open: crest@health.ucsd.edu or cayers@health.ucsd.edu

CREST in US News and World Report:

https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2019-10-15/older-hoarding-patients-get-help-healing-through-in-home-program