THE first few weeks of operation for the Uniting Safe Shelter (USS) have seen more homeless men reaching out for help.
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Last year, things got off to a slow start, with no one stopping by in the early weeks of the project.
This time, however, the shelter has been averaging around four guests a night, more than half the number of the available beds, since it opened on May 13.
"After a really slow start last year, it's fantastic that it is being used from the get-go," coordinator Julie Greig said.
Between the shelter closing last year and re-opening this year, the space at the Bathurst Uniting Church has undergone a transformation to improve the quality of the amenities.
In addition to placing partitions between the beds, a bathroom with a shower was built at the church's expense for the men to use, replacing the portable toilet they had available to them last year.
Ms Greig said that the feedback from the guests about the bathroom was very positive.
"The guys really love having a shower," she said.
"One of the issues for homeless people is privacy when trying to wash, because they aren't in private places ... so the access to a shower and hot water is going down really well."
USS is always looking for more people who can help with the service.
At the moment, volunteers are being sought to stay with guests overnight from late June and to mid July.
The shelter gets a lot of help from paramedics students at Charles Sturt University (CSU), but many of them will be away over that time due to university holidays.
Two volunteers are rostered on overnight and an experienced supervisor is always on call if extra assistance is required.
Ms Greig said training is provided to volunteers, with a session coming up on June 5 at 7.15pm.
Anyone who would like to come along to the training, without obligation, is asked to send an email to unitingsafeshelter@gmail.com.
People can also help with the shelter by making financial donations.
"The donations that people are sending us go towards food, electricity and things like that, the running costs," Ms Greig said.