13 March 2026
The Greens have called on the Labor and Liberal parties to match their commitment to provide long-term funding to the Hutt Street Centre’s Aspire Program as the election campaign heads into its final days.
Key Facts
- The Hutt Street Centre has seen a 42% increase in demand over the last 4 years, and its Wellbeing Centre regularly now frequently serves daily lunch to over 130 people.
- The Centre’s Aspire Program provides intensive individualised support to people experiencing homelessness to connect them with accommodation, education, and employment, to rebuild their lives.
- The Aspire Program supports hundreds of participants each year and saves the State Government millions of dollars in avoided Government services, like hospital stays and emergency accommodation, but the ongoing Government funding remains unconfirmed, and the long-term sustainability of the program is in doubt.
- The Greens are urging Labor and the Liberals to match their commitment to guarantee funding to Aspire at $2 million per year for the next 7 years.
Quotes attributable to Robert Simms MLC
“It’s incredibly disappointing that throughout this State Election campaign the Labor and Liberal Parties have devoted almost no attention to addressing South Australia’s growing homelessness crisis. This is a sad indictment on their priorities.”
“The Greens are calling on the major parties to back our commitment to supporting the Hutt Street Centre’s Aspire Program into the long-term to provide certainty to both workers and those who rely on this vital service.”