A public meeting in Kurow last night voted unanimously to keep the aged care facility, Whalan Lodge, operating in the Waitaki Valley.
About 140 people at short notice turned up for the meeting to demonstrate to the owners, the Whalan Lodge Trust, they were backing the facility.
''I'm blown away,'' trust chairman Hugh Cameron said about the attendance.
''It's quite humbling.''
The lodge is struggling financially and Mr Cameron warned ''crunch time'' could be as early as the end of the month.
By the end of the year, the lodge could be $10,000 in debt.
There had been tremendous support for it, both monetary and in volunteer hours, but that alone, while welcome, was just prolonging the inevitable.
''To be sustainable in the future, we need residents.''
The lodge had four full-time residents but needed at least seven to break even and 10 or 11 to start turning a profit.
Fixed costs, regardless of the number of residents, were about $17,000 a month. At present, the lodge was losing $3000 to $4000 a month.
Other ideas put forward included approaching the Waitaki and Waimate District Councils to see if a special rate could be set up to part-fund the facility; offering debentures; reducing costs, such as insurance; donations; volunteer hours; providing other healthcare; accepting some debt; using a part for visitor accommodation; and advertising the home more widely.
A separate committee to raise funds was suggested and the meeting voted to go ahead with it.
That could keep it operating in the short term, while it attracted more residents, Mr Cameron said.
The Whalan Lodge Trust bought the former Kurow Maternity Hospital on behalf of the community in 1984, and took over operation of the 14 bed rest-home late last year.
