A community services hub in Milton hopes to expand its reach and premises as demand for help increases.
Tokomairiro Community Hub nurse manager Dale Wyber said the demand for various social services was such that the hub in Union St had grown from housing two health and social services, to 14 in the past two years.
The hub is run under the auspices of the Milton Community Health Trust and other agencies using it include the Salvation Army, Methodist Mission, Plunket and Clutha Health First.
"Hub is the key word,'' Mrs Wyber said.
Some of the services provided included a foodbank, gambling support, intervention and probation services, as well as a midwife clinic.
The hub also runs a website with links and directories to local amenities and services.
Mrs Wyber said the hub was born out of a need to attract support agencies to the area so more people could get help locally.
Often, Milton people were referred to Dunedin for help but were unable to go because they could not afford the time or cost of travel.
Some statistics showed Milton was more disadvantaged than the rest of the district in some ways, including that it had a lower income and higher school decile rate compared with the rest of the Clutha district.
"There's quite a bit that impacts on the community which means we do need some of the services in place.''
Given the demand for its services, the hub now was seeking to expand and had plans to renovate, to create private areas for people to be seen, as well as adopt a more efficient way of heating.
Funding was always an issue, but it was "very fortunate'' to receive grants from several charities and local service groups, Mrs Wyber said.
