The main objective of Pilbara Community Legal Services is one of providing services to reduce disadvantage, increase capacity of individuals to understand their rights and obligations and to empower people to manage their lives effectively.

PCLS, by offering a holistic multi-disciplined service delivery is able to resolve client’s problems in a one stop shop approach through the variety of services it provides.

To ensure the PCLS is responsive to the ongoing and changing needs of the people of the Pilbara, as a component of the planning cycle, an environmental scan was conducted. As a consequence, the following trends were identified.

  • Increased level of housing stress due to lack of availability, suitability and affordability.
  • Increased difficulty operating a not for profit organisation in the Pilbara due to the high operational costs, especially rental and lack of affordable housing which has a direct affect on the retention of professional staff.
  • Low income earners impacted upon due to high cost of living.
  • An increase in debt more noticeable in the middle income range due to high costs of rent and utilities.
  • Increased level of relationship breakdown due to the current working and lifestyle environment – including FIFO, long working hours, shift work, isolation and high disposable incomes (associated with drug and alcohol misuse).
  • Increased level of anti-social behaviour, family and domestic violence and other negative aspects of social, economic and environmental wellbeing associated with housing stress and overcrowded living conditions.
  • Increased population and rate of FIFO across the whole Pilbara causing a breakdown in infrastructure. Discrepancies between the actual population and what is indicated by the 2006 Census means there is no accurate data available to support the need for more services, programs and infrastructure.
  • High level of unemployment in Roebourne.