Aspire program to wind back as homeless crisis grows and services struggle

An innovative Hutt St Centre program which has delivered the South Australian Government more than $40 million in cost savings – including the avoidance of more than 6,000 hospital nights – is being wound down from mid-December as government funding runs down.

The Aspire Program, the state’s flagship intensive support service for people impacted by chronic homelessness, is being wound down due to a lack of ongoing funding. Client intakes have been cut by more than 50 per cent this year, and no new clients will be accepted beyond FY2025-26.

Hutt St Centre CEO Chris Burns said the Aspire Program had consistently demonstrated that intensive support, where Aspire workers spent significant time working alongside participants to find long-term solutions including stable housing, delivers meaningful benefits not only for individuals, but also for service providers and the state’s health and justice systems.

Key to Aspire’s success has been its integration with the Hutt St Centre’s unique Wellbeing Centre, enabling seamless support across health, social connection, housing and essential services throughout the journey from homelessness to homefulness.

“Aspire has helped hundreds of people break the cycle of homelessness,” Mr Burns said.

“At a time when the housing crisis is escalating, more people are struggling to make ends meet. As we see more people walk through our doors, we have no choice but to wind down this vitally important program and let staff go due to a lack of ongoing funding support from the State Government.

“Aspire has delivered measurable, independently-verified results, transforming the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of our community while potentially saving the State Government millions of taxpayer dollars in other pressured areas. Yet, without renewed funding, South Australia risks losing one of its most effective responses to chronic homelessness.

“For us it’s not just about the money. Through Aspire we’ve been rebuilding families, restoring identities and keeping people alive. We’ve delivered stable tenancies – saving taxpayers – and providing pathways out of chronic homelessness.”

The Aspire Program was funded for its first seven years via a Social Impact Bond. Evaluated by Social Ventures Australia, the program consistently exceeded all key performance indicators, including its tenancy retention rate of 86 per cent.

“Each month, the Aspire referral window is open for only a few minutes before every place is taken,” Mrs Burns said.

“In some months we receive 20 to 30 referrals from other specialist homelessness providers and government agencies. As we reduce the number of places available through Aspire, that demand won’t disappear — it will be redirected to other homelessness services that already have waitlists and are less capable of supporting the more complex clients that Aspire supports.”

The cuts to Aspire have come as more people than ever are visiting Hutt St Centre’s Wellbeing Centre for a hot shower, nutritious meal or to access the more than 20 supporting services available. In the 2024-25 financial year, Wellbeing Centre visits grew from 40,504 to 42,975. On average, 826 people accessed its services each week.

Mr Burns said Hutt St Centre had never turned away anyone looking for a meal, a hot shower or life-saving support, but he feared that if the trend continued, the Centre would have no choice but to turn people away by the end of 2028.

He has noticed an increase in other charities turning away people at-risk or experiencing homelessness, with many charities no longer able to provide comprehensive support.

Mr Burns said Hutt St Centre relied solely on donations to fund its Wellbeing Centre’s operations and services – receiving no Government funding, and the organisation could not afford to absorb the ongoing costs for Aspire now that funding had come to an end.

With the State Government undertaking yet another review of homeless services, Mr Burns said programs such as Aspire which saved millions of dollars, should be used as a case study rather than a reason to save money.

Aspire client Luke, who played AFL at a high level before battling alcohol and gambling addictions at the height of his fame, has been housed through the program.

“Grappling with alcohol addiction and gambling addiction at the same time, you tend to be very self-centred and destroy everything around you, whether that's relationships, housing situation, jobs, everything in your life seems to go in the opposite direction,” he said. “I guess there was a big ego to go with that as well, that I could fix myself, I could get through this by myself. And I think that's a big problem in society itself, especially with my background as well, is you're taught to walk with your chest up, your chin high and don't show vulnerability.”

After stints in rehab, attempts at suicide and no-where to go, Luke recognised he needed support and walked into Hutt St Centre. The Aspire team helped Luke secure housing and provided ongoing counselling. He is now studying a Diploma in Community Services. He has rebuilt relationships with his family and feels connected.

“Homelessness doesn't discriminate. You could be a high-flying business person today, but you never know - in a month's time, you could be me 18 months ago walking with my hands out asking for help,” he said. “This program has saved my life. I finally feel like I have someone in my corner.”

To find out more about Aspire, click here: Hutt St Centre Aspire video.