The Dunedin Night Shelter Trust wants to ensure it is never homeless.
Trust chairman Dave Brown said he expected the demand for shelter beds this year to be double that of last year.
''Numbers have increased considerably.''
The trust wanted to buy the two buildings it rented in Lees St.
The landlord would sell, but the trust needed funds.
''We don't want to become homeless ourselves.''
The front building, the night shelter, had 12 beds and rooms in the rear building were rented to people needing ''transitional accommodation''.
''It gives them a chance to sort their lives out.''
The tenants' rent paid for some of the night shelter rent, but money was always needed to cover the shortfall.
''If we owned the place, we could become much more self sufficient.''
Trust member John Le Brun said the trust was reliant on grants and donations.
''There's no government funding. We get a small grant from the Dunedin City Council, which helps but it doesn't take much for things to change.''
Building ownership would secure the service, which had been in Dunedin for eight years.
The beds in the shelter were used 100 times each month for most months of the year, Mr Le Brun said..
''In a city the size of Dunedin, that is quite a staggering amount.''
The landlord would sell the houses for $595,000 and the trust wanted to raise $650,000.
The extra funds would develop more rooms in the transition house.
''This is a city issue. If anybody can help us, we will gratefully accept that help. Whether it is cheques, cash or ideas to move this forward,'' Mr Le Brun said.
Long-term plans for the shelter were to provide more accommodation for women.
''If we owned this, we would start to talk about what we could do for women because there is demand out there. We can take some [women], but we can't take everyone who turns up.''
Here is the link to it and a photograph.
I also was interviewed on the local TV.
It has been a busy day.
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