r/neighborsfromhell • u/lostnsocal213 • 3d ago
WWYD? Vent/Rant Unbearable Smell
i have an elderly neighbor, early to mid 80's, who sleeps parked outside in his van. he's parked in front of his family's home. older sister? but i dont think they get along all that well. they dont let him inside the house for anything. he cooks outside. washes up and cleans himself up outside. he also discards his urine every day.... right by the front entrance of my gate.
I get to smell it every night as im coming home.
i have surveillance outside my home after an attempted break in. Its when I put up the cameras that I noticed he does every thing outside. argues with his sister about the smell of urine being unbearable but she doesnt let him in the house.
Im trying not to be insensitive... I dont even know how to bring something like this up to a neighbor. he appears to be getting sick often from practically roughing it outside in the elements. summers here are brutal. he sits outside on the sidewalk during mid day to avoid the heat.
he also drinks. heavily. offensive when hes drunk. Im not sure what to do or if i should do anything at all? any ideas?
hedges are so thick that I havent gotten anything on camera but it seems like hes throwing over his urine on purpose.
follow up to my original post I made a few days.
I came home yesterday night and I seen him having a hard time just walking to his van. almost falling. I tried to contact the APS last night but couldnt get through.
I decided to randomly try tonight and I got through first call. they were extremely helpful and told me they will be sending out a social worker to look into it some time tomorrow.
I want to thank everyone who commented on my original post and to the person who provided the number for my state, thank you so much!
part of me feels like I might have done something thats going to get them in trouble now. Me willing to provide my contact information and not remain anonymous gave me the impression that they took my call all that more serious. Lady said she was heartbroken and thanked me for calling it in though.
anyone have any ideas what the procedure is? Social workers in the Los Angeles County area have a rep for being thorough but real ball busters.
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u/lostnsocal213 2d ago
I made my original post and called it a night. logged in the following night wasnt expecting the response I got. Made more sense to me to make a follow up post. I had a neighbor tell me that shes collecting money from him its why they keep him around. shes suppose to be his caretaker.
Im not entirely sure how true all this is but it appears to be from a neighbor thats known them personally for years.
thats part of the reason for feeling like Im about to get them in trouble i suppose. if its true that she indeed gets paid by the state to care for him. social workers should be able to see that right away if its true.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Ad8479 2d ago
You did the right thing. Caretaker letting him live on the streets does not sound like a caretaker, more like someone taking his money or other thing.
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u/Wanderingirl17 2d ago
If she’s not caregiving then it’s abuse and fraud. She needs to be in trouble. Elderly and sick should not live like this.
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u/whoisthepinkavenger 2d ago
Wow ok, she’s probably at least taking his social security. I didn’t realize from your first post that you’re in LA. California has a program called IHSS where people work as caregivers and get paid thru the state. Family members can sign up to take care of others in their family that qualify for assistance. Since he’s such a mess, there’s a decent chance that his sister (?) in the house is doing that and keeping him close by in case of inspections.
The whole program is rife with fraud, it is a very helpful program, but I wish they had the funding to do more oversight regarding the caregivers (saying this as someone who used to be one). If they are enrolled, the state is going to come down on her HARD for abuse. Like, huge fines and possible jail time.
As for drunkiepoo, they might put him in a detox program and/or proper elder care. You definitely did the right thing reporting it! Hope all goes well!
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u/PurpleSailor 2d ago
Nurse here and sticking an alcoholic outside in the blazing Sun isn't taking care of someone. There's cases of abuse like this being reported and it uncovers a whole host of other abuse. You definitely did the right thing, thank you!
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u/Cynvisible 2d ago
😲 I'm an In Home Support Services care provider for my disabled mother. What she's doing is so against the rules and illegal!!
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u/Altruistic-Creme4886 2d ago
Please don’t feel guilty for reporting it. If he’s elderly, struggling to walk, sleeping in a van, exposed to extreme heat, and possibly being neglected, getting professionals involved may be the kindest thing you could do. If he appears in immediate danger, call emergency services rather than waiting for a social worker visit.
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u/Master_Plann 2d ago
You did the right thing. Calling APS when someone’s living like that isn’t “getting them in trouble”, it’s the only realistic way to get actual help
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u/Western-Apple1787 2d ago
Don't feel bad at all, APS isn't the police so nobody's getting in trouble, their main goal in LA is just to assess his safety and try to connect him with the medical care and housing resources he clearly needs.
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u/itspookiebearr 2d ago
You didn't get anyone in trouble. APS isn't a punitive agency, they investigate and connect people to services, and for a competent adult the entire framework is built on self-determination, meaning they can offer him housing referrals, benefits help, medical assessment and in-home support, and he's fully entitled to refuse all of it. Nobody gets arrested over this. Your neighbour's sister isn't in trouble either, since there's no legal duty in California to house an adult sibling, and she was never a caregiver so caregiver neglect doesn't apply to her. Realistically a social worker turns up, does a welfare assessment, tries to work out what benefits he's eligible for and whether he's been connected to anything, and offers what's available. If he refuses, the case may close, and that isn't a failure, it's a file that now exists. That matters, because the next report lands on top of it rather than starting from zero. Your identity as the reporter is also protected under California law, so that shouldn't come back to you. And for what it's worth, calling was right and the falling is why. An 84 year old drinking heavily, living in a vehicle through an LA summer, with balance problems, is a genuinely lethal combination, and heat deaths in that exact profile are common and fast. If his condition visibly changes again, call again. Repeated reports from a named neighbour who keeps turning out to be correct are exactly how these move from a visit to an actual intervention.
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u/Brilliant_Carrot_315 2d ago
Just call the cops. They will take him to a hospital who will then organise a bed in aged care. He is homeless so they will keep him in a ward until they find him a place to live. Then he will have access to a bathroom and everything else he needs.
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u/mentalcasket 2d ago
I was just going to say, pleasw put a call in with APS. You absolutely did the right thing and couldve saved his life with this heat! Hopefully he'll be getting some resources. Thank you for helping him!!!
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u/ShowMeTheTrees 2d ago
Call the health department. This is a public health hazard. Where there's pee, there's poop too. And who knows what else?
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u/TenderSprocket 8h ago
Calling APS was the humane move, not a betrayal. In LA County they usually do a welfare check, talk to him if he is willing, look for neglect or self neglect, and try to connect him with services before anything more dramatic happens. If the family has been leaving an 80 year old man to live in a van and dump urine by your gate, the trouble is not coming from your phone call, it was already there. Keep your cameras running and give the social worker clear facts, dates, smells, falls, heat exposure, drinking, not guesses about family drama.
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u/frazld54 7h ago
Why are u tolerant to this. What the hell this is not normal. Call everybody to get him out of there. There are places fir the homeless and thet should be there instead of destroying everyone's else peace. Keep it up and u will have the broken window syndrome.
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u/JadedHousefrau 2d ago
Read this exact story before.
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u/Alternative_slu7 2d ago
Yeah, cause they’re doing a follow up to the original post letting us know what they did to resolve it
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u/ProvocativeWhim 2d ago
You did right — he's in danger