The inner-city Wachner Place Restroom offers a free shower which is used twice a day on average, equating to about $270 per time based on overall running costs.
Its closure was imminent following a decision in May which was made on the proviso work be undertaken to find alternative locations.
On Tuesday, council policy analyst Hannah Kennedy detailed some of the steps the council had taken to connect with the homeless population and those who worked with them.
There were "specific issues" facing that community, including where to store belongings during the day — which Wachner Pl offered — and maintaining hygiene for things like job seeking.
A strong theme from the council’s recent survey and engagement was that homeless people valued the space as much as the showers, she said.
"In other words, having a friendly face, somewhere that was warm, safe, private, someone to have a chat to and make you a cup of tea, were very much appreciated as much as the showers."
But keeping the facility open was also hitting ratepayers in the pocket.
Former councillor Lesley Soper was the lead elected representative for engagement events and also made a presentation to the council.
She said the shower was used about 60 times a month, which equated to about $270 per shower.
It was also used by a "very small number of homeless". The main users were people who had lost water or power or who were travelling.
Cr Ian Pottinger visited the facility for the first time on Tuesday and spoke highly of it at the meeting.
He said the council could look at other options, but nothing would come back at the price it was already paying.
"I believe council has a responsibility to provide a facility like this," he said.
The contract renewal to March 2026 marks a seven-month extension to the original plan of closing the toilets by the end of August.
A report prepared for the meeting said there was no clear estimate of homeless numbers in Invercargill, but most agencies that attended sessions believed it was getting worse.
The need for a more significant facility providing temporary overnight accommodation had also been raised.
Council manager Doug Rodgers said his team would look at options which ranged from a minimum approach to a community or tourist hub, and hoped to detail prices in February.
Operating and maintaining the facility cost $194,294 a year, according to the report.
• LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
