Release date: 25/04/22

The Malinauskas Labor Government will invest $6 million into Hutt St Centre, Catherine House and Vinnies to help address homelessness in the city and assist vulnerable South Australians into secure housing and a better life.

Currently, hundreds of people are sleeping rough in the Adelaide CBD every night.

Specialist homelessness services not only help people to find secure housing, they also play a critical role in supporting people’s health, mental health, education and employment prospects.

Under the former Liberal government, these three key organisations – the Hutt St Centre, Catherine House and St Vinnies – had their funding slashed with skilled and experienced staff lost their jobs.

The Government will also invest $180 million in delivering deliver 400 new public housing homes and bring another 350 up to standard so they can provide shelter to families in need and launch a maintenance blitz on a further 3000 homes to provide safe and suitable accommodation.


Quotes

Attributable to Premier Peter Malinauskas

We cannot, in good conscience, stand idly by and allow hundreds of vulnerable people to sleep rough – in doorways, on park benches and under trees – around the city each night.

These three organisations have years of experience playing crucial roles in responding to inner city homelessness.

The importance of their presence in our city doesn’t just come down to the service they provide, it’s also about the relationships they build and the trust they garner with their clients.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Human Services Nat Cook

The Liberal Government slashed funding to these three critical organisations, leaving people unable to access specialist case managers and pushing them to breaking point, with terrible consequences for their health, safety and mental health.

The specialist staff that these organisations used to employ – some of whom may be able to be engaged again – are literally life savers.

The Malinauskas Labor Government is serious about the goal of ending homelessness – that’s only going to happen if we put resources into the organisations that are out on the streets helping people every day.