Client abuse hits nerve at Geraldton community support service Regional Alliance West amid housing crisis

Community service workers in Geraldton on the front line of the housing crisis are copping abuse, aggression and even threats of violence from desperate clients, with some staff feeling unsafe walking down the main street or doing their grocery shopping. While housing waiting lists and client requests swell, leaders in the field say frustration and desperation are spilling over and causing stress, burnout and fear for those working in an already challenging environment who want to do anything within their power to help those in vulnerable situations. Regional Alliance West corporate manager Leeanne Robertson said the need and frustration over housing in Geraldton were unlike anything she had ever seen. Geraldton’s rental vacancy rate has hovered around a sickly 1.3 per cent for months after hitting a one per cent rock bottom in January. Finding a home is a challenge, with RAW’s client base jumping 22 per cent in a year. While staff strain to keep up with an ever-increasing workload, they are also dealing with an avalanche of vitriol and complaints. Ms Robertson said her team dealt with at least two frightening and aggressive clients every day. The perspex shield erected at reception to protect staff from the coronavirus is now serving to protect them from clients’ rage. “There are staff, including managers, who are being verbally threatened and abused when we are in the street, doing our shopping, down the main street. There are threats of physical violence,” she said. Ms Robertson said staff understood the housing crisis was painful for the community, especially with the weather turning cold. However, she could not continue to tolerate threats and abuse. “It’s really disheartening for the staff to cop abuse every day ... These are normal people who want to help.” Accusations of corruption and misappropriation of funds have been particularly hurtful to the community service worker, who oversaw almost 1000 referrals in and out of the organisation in the three months to May — a 28 per cent increase from last year. She said RAW’s legal service was also supporting people affected by cyclone Seroja, meaning there was a long waiting list for support. “We are asking for patience when you contact our office ... we will do our best,” she said. Murchison Region Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Mary Marshall also reported abuse and some threats from clients, although she stressed the bad behaviour was from a small minority. “It reflects the desperation around housing,” she said. Related stories The corporation’s housing waiting list has doubled since the pandemic hit, with the figure still rising for Geraldton every day. According to Ms Marshall, it has 60 approved tenants for two-bedroom units, and only 16 units, most already tenanted. “We are having to put in place small-term processes to protect the mental health of the staff because of the level of abuse we are copping,” she said. Several other agencies, including Centacare, Mission Australia, Desert Blue Connect, and Midwest Employment and Economic Development Aborigi- nal Corporation, did not report abuse. However, most do not offer the same kind of specialised housing services as MRAC and RAW. “It does provide some challenges in terms of a lack of options for women trying to leave abusive home situations,” Desert Blue Connect chief executive Russell Pratt said. “From my perspective, it’s deep, and impacting more than just clients. “We’ve lost good staff who have had to move because they couldn’t find housing.”