Testimonials presented to Tauranga Moana Night Shelter Trust to the city council's Community Development Committee show the shelter is more than just a bed for the night for some of the city's homeless.

Night Shelter manager Annamarie Angus.

Instead it is developing as a half-way house or refuge for people Trustee spokesman Mike Milles describes as having plunged rather than fallen through the cracks.

One testimonial is from a Wellington law firm congratulating the shelter because they were able to locate a client and clear him of criminal charges.

Another from the parents of an alcoholic son spoke of a man who lost his income, home and family and through the shelter programme is now re-connecting with his children – after two years of running into blank walls with other agencies.

The 20 bed shelter housed 80 men in its first six months. Some for a short time, others longer. All residents help with household chores, cleaning house and grounds, says Mike.

They have also begun growing vegetables, and shelter stayers recently enjoyed taking boxes of food down to the Tauranga Community Foodbank.

The four full time shelter staff are also advocating for their clients in dealings with the various bureaucracies. Of the 80 guest/clients, 30 had benefit issues, 16 needed budget advice, 12 had mental health issues, says Mike.

Of the 3500 bed nights to the end of March the average length of stay is 45 days, the longest 200. There are a large proportion of 20-35s and a significant spread across the ages. Two are over 65. A number have serious health issues.

The staff have become advocates for the guests/clients and working to get benefits reinstated, re-connecting with the system and their often estranged families.

'Homelessness isn't just about accommodation. It's also about a whole lot of other things, its about access to services,” says Mike.

'For people who have plunged through the cracks, the very rules become a foot on the throat those guys when they are down,” says Mike. 'The reason why the night shelter is a success is because we punch through the barriers. Our staff do the punching and pushing and get their way through.”

The shelter Runs off payments from the guests, donations from charities and is also receiving a lot of community support, much of which just walks up the path, says Mike. Some are regular, like the family that provides salad veges every Friday. Two central city dental practices have been doing dental work. They don't want to be identified.

'If people are in dire circumstances their teeth are the first to go, and who can afford a dentist,” says mike.

In reply to questions from the committee he says people leave the night shelter to move into other housing, and others come and go, but it's been full since Christmas.

'We have a pretty good idea what the numbers are. If we had five more beds we would fill them, ten more beds we would probably fill them.”

Four men have been kicked out over the last six months and told not to come back.

'We are not going to be all things to all homeless persons,” says Mike.