Matt Smith: News the Hutt St centre for the homeless could be forced to move should make Adelaide residents feel ashamed

REVELATIONS in the past week that the team that operate the Hutt Street Centre could even consider moving its premises in light of concerns about escalating violence should make Adelaide residents ashamed.

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REVELATIONS in the past week that the team that operate the Hutt Street Centre could even consider moving its premises in light of concerns about escalating violence should make Adelaide residents ashamed.

When thinking about the issue of Hutt Street, it is hard not to think about the people that purchase properties in ‘vibrant’ areas of town only to complain when the live music from the local pub gets loud on a Saturday night.

The Hutt Street Centre was offering its services, and operating as a drawcard for the struggling and homeless, long before many of the cafes in the area starting operating.

Of course businesses owners should be able to operate without the threat of violence to them, their staff and customers.

But is moving an integral piece of infrastructure for some of our state’s most vulnerable people really what a grown up city does?

Since 1954 the centre has been serving the city’s homeless and struggling.

In the past year alone the centre has provided 8500 showers, helped with 4200 loads of washing, and prepared and served 50,000 meals to struggling South Australians.

The centre also helped 2200 people with basic everyday needs such as making appointments to see the nurse, making calls for rental properties or to Housing SA, accessing the legal clinic, getting a change of clothes or blankets, making contact with family members.

About 800 people were referred into case management or employment programs.

Volunteers provided computer drop-in support 2,400 times.

The Hutt Street Centre is doing a hell of a lot more than just offering a soup kitchen for a few rough sleepers.

And if the answer to reducing isolated incidents of violence in the area near the Hutt Street Centre is to move elsewhere we are asking the wrong question in the first place.

I recently spent a day in the Hutt Street Centre — chatting to clients and just observing what made the place tick.

I saw a bunch of men taking the opportunity to watch some TV including Sunrise promoting an “all expenses TV wedding in Fiji” and a story celebrating the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

I expected to see mainly young men, possibly dealing with drug and alcohol abuse, but I was instead struck by the number of older men and women seeking comfort in the Centre.

As one well dressed lady told another client — “I am just here to sort my life out.”

Another client picks up a broom and cleans up the leaves in the front foyer area.

There are some men that hang around out the front of the centre smoking cigarettes and chatting to volunteers.

One of the men is struggling to deal with the love of his life recently being put in prison.

He is living in his car and he eventually works up the courage to ask me about whether or not he can have a shower.

I am ashamed to admit that I thought the sight of two boxes of finger buns — all carbs and sugar — being placed on a table in the centre would start some kind of feeding frenzy reminiscent of a flock of seagulls around hot chips.

Instead the behaviour of the clients made me question my own moral compass.

Not one client took more than a single bun, and after an hour there were still some left.

I could not help but think that despite all their own struggles these people were also very considerate of others.

What I did not see on the day I visited were any signs of violence, or drunken behaviour.

That is not suggesting that it never happens.

We have seen CCTV footage of people in Hutt Street assaulting each other.

And there is no reason to not believe claims by some cafe owners that there has been an escalation of violence in the street over the past twelve months, although police deny an increase.

Whether or not the people causing trouble in the street in recent times are even clients of the centre is a completely different matter.

When incidents of violence are on the increase in places like Hindley Street we seek to find ways to reduce them — we don’t call for all the pubs to be moved.

We need to treat the Hutt Street Centre the same way.

Fix the issue of violence, if it exists, but do not take away something so very important for our fellow South Australians.

IN TOMORROW’S SUNDAY MAIL: A special investigation into the fine line called poverty.