Program that saved ex-SANFL player from streets being wound down as funding dries up
A former SANFL player has rebuilt his life from homelessness and addiction through a program that is now being cut back as government funding dries up.
On the field, Luke, 30, was a promising SANFL player, but behind closed doors he was silently battling mental health and addiction struggles that would eventually cost him everything, including a roof over his head.
In 2015, he was selected for the Adelaide Crows’ reserves squad but experienced constant injuries and burnout during the two seasons he spent at the club, which led him down a dark path.
“Before (the Crows) I was captain of the Under-16s and Under-18s (at Sturt). I’d always put this mask on that I was this strong leader but behind closed doors I was depressed,” he said.
“I’d go into heavy addiction when I was injured, especially with painkillers and drinking.
“I didn’t know who I was because my identity was so attached to football … It was a very lonely place.”
After leaving the Crows, he moved interstate for a fresh start but his addiction only spiralled.
“I wouldn’t get out of bed for days. I’d wake up with six empty bottles next to me … I went down the path of trying to take my own life,” he said.
He eventually returned to Adelaide but with nowhere to go, ended up couch surfing.
After hitting “rock bottom” mid-last year, he checked himself into rehab and walked into the Hutt St Centre for the first time.
Since then, he’s turned his life around with the help of Hutt St Centre’s Aspire program, which provides ongoing support to help homeless people find homes and jobs, and is now living in a two-bedroom duplex at Unley and studying a Diploma in Community Services.
“This program has saved my life,” he said. “I’d hate to think where I’d be without it.”
Since launching in 2017, the program has supported almost 600 people and saved the State Government more than $40 million while avoiding more than 6000 hospital nights, according to Hutt St Centre.
But the program, funded by a Social Impact Bond (SIB), is being wound down from mid-December as government funding runs out.
Client intake has been slashed by more than 50 per cent this year and no new clients will be accepted beyond June 2026 due to a lack of ongoing funding.
It comes despite overwhelming demand, with Hutt St Centre chief executive Chris Burns saying this month’s referral window closed within three minutes.
“This was created to address a known demand that has only increased since we started,” he said.
“In the next financial year, we’ll only be able to accept 42 referrals. Whereas with the SIB, we were accepting 150.
“The people that miss out don’t go away. They stay out on the street waiting to be supported.”
Visits to Hutt St Centre’s Wellbeing Centre have also grown from 40,504 to 42,975 in the 2024-25 financial year – an average of 826 people accessing services each week.
However, a state government spokesperson said that new clients can enter the program until mid-2026 under the current contract, with up to three years of tailored support extending through to 2030.
“The government remains committed to strengthening support and will consider additional funding, following the (Homelessness System Review), where it’s needed to help people thrive,” they said.
