Safety in the home: securing your furniture Did you know you have the right to secure furniture to walls to help protect the safety of children and vulnerable adults? An often overlooked hazard in the home is the risk of furniture toppling over, which causes serious injuries each year in Australia. Children and people with disability are particularly at risk of toppling injuries. Young children are naturally curious and may attempt to climb or pull furniture and people with disabilities may have limited mobility or balance, making them more susceptible to accidents. In 2019, tenancy law changed to allow tenants to apply to their landlord for permission to secure furniture such as bookcases, drawers, cupboards, desks, and TVs to walls if it helps protect the safety of children or people with a disability who may live with you or visit your home. Housing Choices WA can only refuse the request if affixing the item to the wall would disturb material containing asbestos, the premises is listed as heritage or if there are strata by-laws prohibiting affixing to walls. If you would like to secure your furniture to the wall, please contact your local office and ask for a Tenant Request to Affix Furniture Form (Form 24) or visit the WA maintenance and repairs page in the resident centre of our website for a copy of the form. Please note that you are responsible for the cost and work involved in affixing furniture to walls. Housing Choices may need to check the work at your next inspection to ensure the furniture has been secured safely and to a professional standard.
Re-accreditation: National Mental Health Standards We are excited to share that Housing Choices WA has been re-accredited against the National Standards for Mental Health Services which helps ensure we are providing the high-quality housing services to our tenants with mental health challenges. As part of the accreditation process, we invited members of our Advisory Committee of Tenants to share their experiences of being housed with us and being involved in our tenant engagement work. We were privileged to invite our Chair and Deputy Chairperson as well as members with experience of being in the Independent Living Program, a housing program for individuals with long-term mental health challenges. During discussions with accreditors, our committee members were able to speak honestly and openly about their experiences with us and their feedback will contribute to our ongoing efforts to meet the national mental health standards. The Accreditors have specifically commended our organisation for its dedication to engaging with tenants in a meaningful way, actively listening to their feedback, and taking action to enhance and shape our services. We look forward to receiving the full report from the accreditation process, which will include any recommendations for further improving our services.
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