Relief, joy and a determination to do right by Dunedin's most vulnerable citizens fill the hearts of the Dunedin Night Shelter Trust members now they have hit their fundraising target.
The Dunedin Helping Dunedin campaign crossed the finish line at the weekend with a donation of $25,659 from the Southern Victorian Charitable Trust, which had approached the shelter trust to offer its support.
The flood of other donations has continued since then, adding $16,558 to the total - including another individual $10,000 donation - to bring the total to $231,559.
The overall funds raised to buy the Dunedin Night Shelter buildings in Lees St now stand at $611,559 - enough to cover the purchase, set for October 1, with money to spare.
Dunedin Night Shelter Trust chairman Dave Brown and trustee John Le Brun were stunned, relieved and excited all at once when The Star met them to hear the good news.
"We are absolutely rapt - it's fantastic to be romping over the line with a couple of weeks to go,'' Mr Le Brun said.
"In the end, it has all happened quite quickly - so it hasn't really sunk in yet.''
Mr Brown said the response to the campaign had been ''humbling''.
"It has been wonderful that so many people have come out of the woodwork to support us and to give money.''
While the majority of the funds had come from an array of charitable trusts, including the Otago Community Trust ($200,000), Alexander McMillan Trust ($70,000), Harry Wilson Trust ($30,000), Mercy Hospital ($30,000), William Sherriff Charitable Trust ($25,000), AAW Jones Trust ($20,000) and the Marsh Family Trust ($20,000), the public of Dunedin and local businesses had also contributed about $150,000.
"That is a mighty effort from everyone,'' Mr Brown said.
The relief and joy was a far cry from the feeling of three months ago, when the trust was turned down for a major grant by Lotteries.
The Star came on board at that time to launch a 10-week fundraising campaign to bring the trust's building fund up to $600,000 by October 1.
Mr Le Brun praised the newspaper for its role in raising awareness not only of the campaign, but also of the work of the Night Shelter.
"We can't thank The Star enough; the stories have given real insight into the shelter, who is coming through, and what the outcomes are,'' Mr Le Brun said.
"Without the paper's involvement, we would not be here.''
The owners of the Lees St buildings, Brian and Betty Waddingham, met trustees and supporters at the site this week and expressed their delight with the outcome.
"We decided several years ago that we wanted to sell the buildings, and we thought they would be ideal for an organisation that would help people,'' Mr Waddingham said.
The couple's relationship with the Night Shelter Trust had been excellent throughout the past three years, and they had been happy to wait for the trust to gather the funds to buy the buildings.
"They have been easy to get on with and easy to work with - in fact, they have been the best tenants we have ever had,'' he said.
Mrs Waddingham was very supportive of the trust's work and wished it well for the future.
"The shelter is available for everyone who needs some help picking up the pieces, and I think that is just fantastic,'' she said.
Although the target has been reached, the Dunedin Night Shelter Trust is happy to continue receiving donations, because any additional money will be used in future for maintenance and improvements at the site.
