Western Australian transport infrastructure manager and access provider Arc Infrastructure has entered a new Principal Partnership with Lifeline WA to ensure crucial moments of connection occur for Western Australians experiencing a personal crisis or thinking about suicide.
Arc’s new partnership with Lifeline WA, from 2024 to 2027, is valued at $150,000 over three years and will be allocated towards the recruitment, training and deployment of 36 Lifeline WA Telephone Crisis Support Volunteers who will contribute to about 9,000 help seeker conversations over the duration of the sponsorship.
Lorna MacGregor, Chief Executive Officer, Lifeline WA, said the organisation wants to ensure people living in country Western Australia always have access to the crisis support they need following new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showing high suicide rates in remote and regional areas.
“Rural Western Australians can face greater challenges due to increased social isolation, difficulty in accessing mental health support and severe drought conditions which can contribute to financial stress,” she said.
She said partnerships with companies like Arc Infrastructure are crucial to ensuring the suicide prevention agency can keep up with the growing demand for its crisis support services.
Murray Cook, Chief Executive Officer, Arc Infrastructure , said with employees across the Midwest, Central, Goldfields and South West regions the company understands how difficult it can be for people living outside the metropolitan area to access support and services.
“Western Australia is a vast state and some of our regional towns are quite small and remote which means isolation and distance from health services can be challenging,” he said.
“We support Lifeline WA’s aim of ensuring nobody in Western Australia must walk alone when they are experiencing a crisis and this makes 24/7 access to trained professionals vital.”
Cook said the new partnership with Lifeline WA follows the launch of Arc Infrastructure’s Track Mates peer supporters – a program that encourages staff to seek help if they are struggling with their mental health.
Track Mates launched earlier this year as a part of Arc Infrastructure’s Mentally Healthy Workplace initiative to arm staff members across the company with the necessary skills to support colleagues in need.
Lifeline’s 24/7 telephone crisis support service is available by calling 13 11 14, texting 0477 13 11 14 or Online Chat via lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat.