There's a house on our block that always STINKS. Depending on how the wind is blowing, you can smell it down the block. They leave trash outside, rarely bagged well, and they leave trash on the sidewalk, including things like chicken bones and pieces of hair weave. Very gross. She's also got a backyard that's slowly been filling up with old refrigerators and other junk. And the house inside is filthy too. I feel bad for her kids, but I feel annoyed for all of us who keep our houses clean. (They're also known on the block as the yellers becasue they're so loud, but at the moment, the smell is the real issue.)

I organize the block clean-ups in the summers, but that doesn't last long. And each time I organize one, I put out a flyer that includes ways we can all help to keep the block clean. Any ideas?

Should I mention that the rumor on the block is that she can't walk up the stairs. They don't have a bathroom on the ground floor, so combine that and the smell and I'm afraid the rest is up to our gossiping imaginations.

She's a nice enough person to talk too, but the stench is really gross, so if anyone has suggestions on how to improve the situtaion, I'd appreciate it.

If that smell is really coming from what you are eluding too, then you should call the Health department because that is a public health hazard.

Good advice, but they are swamped as I understand with just rat complaints. If you state repeatedly that it is a rat complaint, you will get prompt attention from Vector Control. I am assuming that there are rats.

Check www.hallwatch.org and type in the address in the property search feature. Is the house privately owned, or landlord owned, or PHA? Need to know in order to save much time on the phone.

Also, if she is a senior, which sounds like the reason she can't get up the stairs, call PCA's hotline for seniors in need. They will send a social worker to visit immediately and take care of a multitude of her needs with housing, activities of daily living such as proper trash disposal, etc.

Thanks for the advice so far. The house is still a problem. This week, they have piled huge amounts of trash outside, including old appliances and furniture. All of it reeks of waste and you can smell it as soon as you open our front door. Several people on the block called the police and today some pickup truck took one load of stuff. But the really foul stuff is still there.

The woman is not a senior, but she does have young children (under 15 is my guess). There are many people who frequent the house and sometimes seem to be living there. The house is privately owned, but I'm pretty sure the owner of record is the woman's mother, long deceased. Since they own it, I can't imagine they'll ever leave. But it's also unacceptable that they continue to behave in this way. Do you think social services would care that children are living like this? On the other hand, the girls are nice and look clean enough.

I've also heard from people who own the house between me and the smelly people that they've been doing things like this for a long time. One of the owners next door has even spoken to them about the trash issue in the past. Of course, the property is a rental for them, so they don't actually live there and wouldn't have to deal with any response.

Has DHS been called? They are very good and will refer the adult into a mental health eval and make home visits. The social workers will put things squarely to the woman that she must treat her deficits or lose the children.

They'll give her a small list of simple goals to accomplish and the means to accomplish them. Then they will f/u in person.

Philly is really very good at this. But first the neighbors have to call DHS and state that the children are in need and at risk of harm. DON'T understate the problem.

Create a notebook of insufficient care and dates. Log your response. A pattern of danger and hazard over time is what DHS needs to prioritize a response.

Keep us posted.

You didn't say if the property owes taxes and if it is certifiable. That will often force the situation to where relatives have to step in like they should have long ago.

We have that situation now. A nearby neighbor has relatives who want a house that they are just not mentally and physically able to cope with, but none of the relatives want to say so to the legal inheritors. A developer certified it, thank God.

Now it is going through the legal collection process to get the thousands in back taxes. The relatives now have to cope with the situation functionally. Or else a developer will buy the house at Sheriff sale.

It's up to you to decide if you want to play social worker assistant, which I have done, or if you don't have time for it and want the city to do its job and collect the taxes. I usually do both things at once because the social workers often won't prioritize care until the person has been notified that they are losing their house. Then suddenly the system starts to work properly with the mentally ill adult getting intensive in or outpatient detox, treatment, and the whole family reforms into a functioning unit.

I'm intrigued that the woman can't get up the stairs, but is not a senior. DHS will be able to help you there for sure.

Be sure to mention that the caretaker of the children has severe physical deficits that affect her ability to respond safely to hazards such as an upstairs fire.

DHS contact info is at www.phila.gov

Are you sure of the woman's age? I'd call PCA and make a report and have them make an objective determination of age and if they are able to get involved.

The woman may be lying about her age to prevent social service involvement by PCA. It sounds nuts, but it is very hard for people to admit that they are overwhelmed and not coping effectively with their loved ones.

Thanks for that idea, lj. I'm looking at the DHS website right now. The woman is definately not a senior. She might be about 40. She's quite overweight, which may make physical activity difficult.

I don't want to get personally involved because I'm afraid of what response they may have. Even my husband doesn't want to confront them himself.

We and other neighbors have called police on plenty of occasions in the past about fights and yelling and you never really know who is in the house.

What's the address of the house?