For the past six years, the Dunedin Night Shelter has offered men food, a shower and a bed when they had nowhere else to go. During its annual appeal week, Ellie Constantine toured the facilities.
On the corner of Manor Pl and Maitland St sits an old villa with a red door.
It could be one of the best-known houses in Dunedin, with home-cooked meals, continental breakfasts and a hot shower awaiting all guests.
But rather than attracting holidaymakers seeking relaxation, the people who knock on its door at night do so because they have found themselves in a desperate situation and have nowhere else to go.
The Dunedin Night Shelter has provided more than 1000 bed nights to men living in, or passing through, Dunedin since 2006.
Shelter Trust chairman Kevin Tansley said the men, who came from a range of backgrounds, turned to the shelter because they found themselves in difficult circumstances.
Some were released prisoners or were transient; others had addictions through which they had "done their dough", had experienced a "life shock", or were escaping violence in their homes.
"The people who come here have run out of options," he said.
The case of a 28-year-old man, who was travelling with his then girlfriend from Invercargill to Blenheim, only to have a fight with her on the way and get ditched in Dunedin, was not uncommon.
Recently released from prison at the time, he contacted Prisoners Aid and was referred to the shelter.
"They were wonderful. They showed me where everything was, gave me some food, and kept asking me if I needed anything," he said.
He stayed for two nights, sorted out a bus to get back to Blenheim and was pleased for the "comfort" of having somewhere to stay in an emergency.
A Dunedin man who found himself stuck on two occasions was also glad to have somewhere to turn in "extreme circumstances".
The first time was when the 58-year-old lost the key to his house and the second was when heavy snow halted public transport, stranding him in town.
"I've had two very enjoyable experiences there," he said.
The beds were "comfortable", the food was "quite tasty" and "everything looked clean and tidy".
"When you are stranded, it's good to have somewhere to go. They made me feel welcome and it was very warm."
Mr Tansley said the shelter was a "warm, safe, non-judgemental" service offering emergency accommodation to those in need.
The trust was established in 2002 after a study found a need for a homeless shelter in the city. The refuge was opened four years later.
"We are not doing this for the warm fuzzies. We think there is a need and someone in town needs to be catering for this need."
The shelter operates out of a rented villa, with accommodation for up to eight men each night.
Women were taken in if they arrived with a partner or family group, or if no men were in the shelter when they arrived. Otherwise, alternative accommodation was found.
Church groups and individuals provided meals, frozen on site, and toiletry packs, which included a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and a shaving kit, for the men to take away.
Donated food, blankets and bedding kept the men warm at night and all were encouraged to shower and make use of the available washing machine.
The place was no-frills, resembling a student flat or a backpackers, and comfortable.
A shelter supervisor "makes a value judgement" when a man arrived, and, as long as he was not considered a threat to himself or others, was welcomed in.
"They are encouraged to tidy themselves up. We offer them dinner and they can either watch telly, or chat or whatever, and they go to bed, get up, have breakfast and leave by 8am."
Self-reliance and independence were important to the shelter, so guests were encouraged to seek support from other social agencies to improve their situation.
Most stayed a maximum of three nights.
About 90% of guests used the service only once, something Mr Tansley was very happy about.
Manager Warren, whose full identity is protected by the trust, has been on the job for six weeks and found it very rewarding.
Not all guests sought life advice, but he enjoyed helping those who asked and seeing them get back on their feet.
The only problem he had encountered so far was an aggressive man, who took exception to being encouraged to shower.
Mr Tansley said these "issues" were rare - about six in the shelter's life - and were dealt with quickly and without harm.
One of the trust's greatest ongoing challenges was securing dependable funding as it relied on donations, and "endlessly" applied for grants to keep running.
It cost about $85,000 a year to run, with all the money going on wages, rent and power.
A review and refocus of services was carried out at the start of the year, with double-ups, such as providing clothing and placement services that were offered by other agencies, cut and two paid employee roles were combined into one.
A street appeal was being held in Dunedin this week and Mr Tansley said the people of Dunedin had been "very generous".
He hoped they would continue to give money and consider joining the Friends of the Night Shelter group to provide "small but regular" contributions.
Another aim of the appeal was to raise awareness and build the volunteer base.
Fewer than 10 people volunteered to work weekends at the shelter and he hoped to increase the numbers to more than 30.
• Collectors will be out in Dunedin today and donations would be welcome to P.O. Box 5906, Dunedin. Contact the shelter on (03) 477-0546.
