As we turn our focus to some of the most vulnerable people in our community during Homelessness Week 2025, we asked Gayle Mitchell to reflect on some of her insights as leader of the Office of Homelessness (OOH) at Department of Communities.
Gayle has more than 20 years’ experience working in community services across youth, families and homelessness in both the not for profit and government sectors.
She describes herself as ‘respectfully disruptive’.
“I came across to Communities in 2021 with a desire to make an impact on some of the systemic issues and influence decision making at a government level,” Gayle said.
“Sometimes this means asking difficult questions and having hard conversations, but even a small shift can create a positive outcome.”
The theme for Homelessness Week 2025 is ‘Homelessness Action Now’. Shelter WA runs a program of events, and their focus this year is on Homelessness Prevention, concentrating on proactive measures to support people and prevent them from becoming homeless. Gayle said this is a subject close to her heart.
“Prevention is vital to our system – so I am passionate about starting here,” she said.
“Education and early Intervention can make a huge difference and stop individuals and families falling into homelessness.”
Gayle believes there are common misconceptions about homelessness.
“The most common myth is that ‘homelessness won’t happen to me’,” she said.
“The two per cent of people we see in the media displaying antisocial behaviours are not a true representation of people experiencing homelessness.
“Homelessness really can – and does – happen to anyone.”
Gayle’s plan for the next few years is to continue the disruption.
“I want to empower teams to think differently, solve complex problems and create new ways of working that support those most vulnerable in our community,” she said.
“To make systemic change you need to understand current practices, encourage curious questioning, celebrate creative thinking and be open to respectful disruption – there is no point doing the same thing if you want a different outcome.
“I am lucky and proud to work with an amazing group of passionate, creative and driven people who are committed to showing up even during the most challenging of times – my team are rockstars!”
- Communities is supporting a range of activities to support and highlight homelessness in WA. Visit Homelessness Week 2025 for more information about events.
- Visit Office of Homelessness or email the Office of Homelessness team at homelessness@communities.wa.gov.au for more information about the work at Communities.
The Department of Communities is always looking for dedicated individuals to join our team. To view our current opportunities, visit our careers page.
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