His home is choc-a-bloc with things he has collected over the years, but he does not want to part with them.

The 78-year-old man, known as Lim, lives alone in a Bedok Reservoir flat and is worried that the charity trying to help him clean up his house may leave him with "nothing", according to Shin Min Daily News.

He sells the stuff collected to earn a living. 

Lim told the Chinese daily that he was worried volunteers would "throw everything away".

"If everything is thrown away, then I will have nothing," he said.

"I don't want that, and I fear I won't be able to find the things I need."

In a Facebook post on June 2, charity Helping Joy said that Lim has been living in a "heavily cluttered" flat with items accumulated over years, with no space to move.

It has since cleared some of the belongings from his home following "12 hours of hard work and battling cockroaches" in a project that began on Sunday, according to multiple posts on Monday (June 9).

The charity said Lim's home posed health risks and a fire hazard to both him and his neighbours.

"We hope to help Uncle Lim declutter, paint and clean his house and provide him with new furniture and electrical appliances,"the charity wrote before they cleaned the house. 

They added: "Let's come together to help Uncle Lim to have a better and cleaner living environment."

Helping Joy is also seeking monetary donations for Lim as well as basic essentials and appliances, such as a bed and mattress, a shoe rack and a standing fan.

Lim requires "long term care and support", Helping Joy said.

 

Showering and using the toilet at coffee shop

According to a Shin Min reporter who visited the home, the door could not be fully opened and guests would have to tread on the items to enter.

Lim said he could not find a job during during Covid-19 and decided to collect items to sell.

"Things accumulated little by little, and I couldn't bear to sell some of them," he told Shin Min.

"I've had arguments with my neighbours because of the items outside my door."

This resulted in authorities throwing away "four large buckets of things", he said of a clean-up that occurred prior to Helping Joy's assistance. 

A neighbour surnamed Peng (transliterated) told Shin Min that that Lim has children and grandchildren and that they visited him during the Chinese New Year. They stood outside the  home to greet him before leaving.

He also said that Lim goes to the coffee shop below the block to take a shower and use the washroom.

AsiaOne has reached out to Helping Joy for more information.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com