Keiko S.
1/5
Review of the HRA Office: A Heartbreaking Disappointment
As a first-time visitor to the HRA office, I came in hoping for support during one of the most challenging times of my life. I had never needed food stamps, housing assistance, or any kind of help before, so stepping into the system was not only humbling but also deeply vulnerable for me. What I experienced was beyond disheartening—it was an outright assault on dignity.
The disdain the staff has for the very community they are meant to serve is palpable from the moment you step through the doors. It’s as if you’ve intruded on their personal time. Every interaction reeks of dismissal and irritation. You’d think that working in public service would require at least a baseline of empathy or professionalism, but the HRA office staff seems to have missed that memo entirely.
I’ve witnessed staff openly mocking clients, laughing in their faces, and rolling their eyes at people who are at their lowest points. When someone has the audacity to ask questions—especially questions stemming from the fact that the information provided is often incorrect or incomplete—they are met with scorn or outright hostility. People were cursed at in plain sight of everyone in the room. Imagine reaching out for help only to have someone tell you off as if your need is a personal affront to them.
The process itself is a nightmare. You’ll wait hours, often all day, to speak with someone, only to be bounced around or told to come back another time because the person you need to see isn’t available. And heaven forbid you get bad information, which is almost guaranteed because no one seems to know what they’re talking about. I was told multiple times to fill out the wrong applications, leading to delays and compounding my already dire situation. For an organization designed to assist the public, they seem to do everything in their power to make the experience as difficult, confusing, and dehumanizing as possible.
It’s no secret that people working here are more invested in their personal dramas than their jobs. It’s painfully evident that some staff members are involved with each other in inappropriate ways, which fosters an environment of unprofessionalism and clique-like behavior. Instead of focusing on the people they’re meant to help, they’re preoccupied with their internal politics and gossip.
The worst part is the lack of accountability. The so-called “rules” seem to exist solely to protect the staff, not the public. When you try to advocate for yourself, you’re met with a wall of bureaucratic nonsense designed to shut you down. Complaints are brushed off or ignored entirely. It’s clear that no one in that office fears repercussions for their actions because the system is rigged to shield them from responsibility.
To make matters worse, the phone numbers provided are absolutely useless. They don’t work at all, leaving you with no way to get answers or even clarify basic information without physically going back to the office. This lack of accessibility further alienates people who are already struggling and compounds the frustration and helplessness.
There are so many people who walk into that office because they truly have nowhere else to turn. They are met not with compassion, but with cruelty. For those who are less equipped to navigate the chaos, who don’t have the resources or resilience to keep fighting against a system designed to grind them down, the outcome is often devastating. How many people simply give up because the hurdles are too high, the treatment too degrading, the wait too endless?
HRA is a disaster—an outright failure of a system that’s supposed to support the most vulnerable. The people working there should be ashamed of themselves. The entire office needs to be overhauled with new leadership, better training, and an actual commitment to helping the people who walk through those doors in desperate need of assistance.
