About
Scientific evidence, innovation and creativity shape the way we work.
OUR APPROACH
Evidence, then implementation
Knowing what good practice looks like is not the hard part. Getting it into the daily decisions of a busy service is. We combine frontline practice knowledge and experience with behavioural science, policy insight and implementation — because change requires all of these elements.
Proportionate
Responses matched to actual risk, not to how a property looks.
Rights-aware
Autonomy and dignity are not obstacles to risk management.
Boundaried
Confidence within a role, never beyond competence.
Defensible
Decisions that stand up to scrutiny, because they are transparent.
Sustainable
Capability that stays with you after we leave.
Where Theory Meets Practice,
and Vision Drives Creativity.
Our proprietary frameworks — the Hoarding Integrated Intervention Model and The DESIRE Method — sit behind this work, giving organisations a shared language and a structure for translating understanding into action.
OUR HISTORY
We came to this work from the frontline and kept meeting people who wanted to help but didn't know where to start - inside organisations whose systems made good practice harder than it needed to be.
Hoarding Academy began as a training provider, but it became clear that training alone only changes what people know without changing what a service does. So our work moved upstream — into policy, assessment, applied frameworks and the critical but often left out business of implementation.
Hoarding Academy was created to help services and practitioners respond to hoarding in ways that are ethical, effective and sustainable. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, we draw together behavioural science and more than 13 years of in-home practice to turn complex theory into clear, usable practice for frontline teams.
We work internationally with local authorities, housing providers, health and social care teams, and third-sector organisations to review, develop and implement learning, policy and practice guidelines for hoarding.
Our approach supports services to move beyond crisis-driven clearances towards collaborative, person-centred interventions that reduce risk, respect rights and support lasting behaviour change.
Grounded in implementation science and real-world constraints, we develop structured learning programmes, tools and frameworks that build confidence and competence across multidisciplinary teams. We focus on what practitioners can actually do differently tomorrow – in someone’s home, in a case discussion, or in a multi-agency meeting – to create safer environments and better outcomes for people affected by hoarding disorder.
Our Founder
In 2013, I established Life-Pod CIC and led the organisation to become a valued service provider that grew to become a team of 14 specialist practitioners . Sadly, in 2024, due to financial constraints and commissioning restrictions, I had to make the very difficult decision to close the organisation.As an eternal optimist, in my endeavour to turn a negative into a positive, I decided to continue my learning by establishing Hoarding Academy and at the same time undertook an MSc in Behaviour Change at Aberystwyth University in Wales. I graduated in July 2026.
LINDA FAYLife-Pod was the start of my journey and where I developed practice-based evidence. Hoarding Academy is where I complemented that with evidence-based practice and reflective learning practice. All of which enabled me to develop proprietary frameworks - the Hoarding Integrated Intervention Model™ and the DESIRE Method™ that I apply to all of my work.Let’s have a conversation about how Hoarding Academy can help you and your organisation to put theory into practice. Get in touch - I’d love to hear from you. Our Frameworks
The Hoarding Integrated Intervention Model™ (HIIM) brings together two interdependent domains of practice:
Practical intervention focuses on Assessment - risk, context, motivation and readiness evaluation, Prioritisation and planning - collaborative goal-setting, Organising and decluttering - hands-on environmental intervention, and Relapse prevention - sustainable strategies for maintaining progress
Therapeutic intervention focuses on motivation, engagement and emotional attachment, drawing on motivational interviewing, cognitive and behavioural principles, harm reduction, trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches. These techniques support readiness for change and help reduce distress, avoidance and disengagement.
Neither domain is sufficient in isolation. The model recognises that practical action without therapeutic engagement is rarely sustained, while therapeutic work without practical change stalls.
The DESIRE Method is the operational pathway
HIIM is grounded in contemporary behaviour change theory and informed by safeguarding principles, human rights considerations and reflective practice. Emphasis is placed on least-restrictive, proportionate intervention, balancing risk management with dignity, autonomy and compassion.
Our Partnerships
HOARDING TASKFORCE (SCOTLAND)
In 2024, in collaboration with Iriss (the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services), the Hoarding Taskforce in Scotland was established. I am a founding member and provide advice and guidance for multi-disciplinary professionals on learning, policy, practice and how best to manage hoarding-related situations.
UK HOARDING PARTNERSHIP
In 2025, I joined the steering committee for the UK Hoarding Partnership – a group of professionals drawn from diverse organisations including, local authorities, housing associations, emergency services, NHS, third sector organisations, etc., who have an interest in hoarding and how to help individual’s with lived experience.