At least they now have a chance to rebuild their lives.
Some people have had to wait for up to three months for a place in the eight-week programme.
Others on the street were not so lucky.
The group said alcoholics and drug addicts were frequently turned away from hospitals and psychiatric services only to be caught by police.
There is, they say, a desperate need for a free or cheap facility where addicts can go for help and support at any time and where they can safely detox.
Members of the bridge programme range in age from 28 to 61 and come from vastly different backgrounds.
Their occupations include registered nurse, accountant, fisherman, builder, bar manager and businessman.
And their stories of how they got to an alcohol and drug rehabilitation programme are just as varied.
From students on their OE who got too involved in the drug-party culture and could not kick the habit when they got home; to people taking opiates for pain and becoming addicted; to recidivist offenders stuck in the prison system.
However, the group said there were so many other people on the streets in Dunedin, and throughout New Zealand, who needed help but did not know where to turn.
There was nowhere safe for people to detox and no place to go to get information and support from educated people.
Often people had no other choice than to be holed up in a police cell for fear of hurting themselves or someone else.
The Salvation Army now offers a relapse prevention programme, but it has limited resources. "The Salvation Army is awesome.
Everyone is welcome and it's not like they are trying to convert you or anything, they just want to help," said a member of the group.
"But people out there are desperate for help.
''They don't know where to go.
''This is a huge problem in New Zealand."
