Searching for choice and control: Western Australian service provider experiences of health, housing and migration.

This article focuses on service providers' experiences addressing housing access and mental health outcomes for migrants from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds in Western Australia (WA). Using interpretative phenomenological analysis of interviews with 11 service providers, the study identifies complex challenges including systemic barriers, language limitations, trauma, and the tension between mainstream and tailored services. Findings highlight migrants' invisibility in social services due to eligibility restrictions and visa status, the critical but under-resourced role of non-government organizations (NGOs), and the limited real choice available to migrants despite policy rhetoric emphasizing client control. Recommendations emphasize improving housing access and funding, enhancing cultural competence and trauma-informed training, expanding community outreach and co-design with migrants, and addressing structural determinants through coordinated government and NGO collaboration.