In a media statement, the South Australian Council of Social Service, the peak representative body for NGO, social, and health sectors, says it is "deeply saddened" to learn that Shelter SA will cease operations on Friday, 6 February.
For many years, Shelter SA has played a vital role in advocating for housing and homelessness issues in South Australia, and its absence will be profoundly felt across the community.
This development underscores the urgent need for a well-resourced peak body to represent the housing and homelessness sectors in the state.
Housing remains one of South Australia’s most critical challenges, and the work Shelter SA has tirelessly undertaken, particularly in advancing solutions that benefit our whole community and importantly our most vulnerable, must continue.
SACOSS is calling on the SA Government to urgently address the lack of resourcing for a dedicated peak body in housing and homelessness.
Without this, the voices of those most affected and the services that support them risk being lost.
SACOSS says Shelter SA’s closure is "a wake-up call: South Australia needs leadership and resources to ensure no one is left without a home."