Residents of the Magnolia Gardens neighborhood in Bayamón are asking for medical and government assistance for their neighbor Javier González, a 54-year-old disabled man who lives alone, has an accumulation problem at his home, and lacks water and electricity service. González has been sleeping in his vehicle. He said the accumulation pattern began after a hospital stay and the loss of his mother, who had been bedridden, and that collecting objects became his way of coping.
"I want this to change. I don’t want to be a burden to the community. They have helped me a lot over the years, me and my mother while she was bedridden," González said.
Although he recognizes his problem, he admitted he fears outsiders entering his home to discard his belongings without his consent. Both the Municipality of Bayamón and the Department of the Family responded to the case saying they have carried out prior interventions: they have tried to relocate González to a home, but he has not accepted the help, and he has received hospital care but has left the institutions without medical discharge.
The Department of the Family said it will keep following the case and continue efforts to provide help.