He said New Zealand's traditional safety net was no longer working for too many people. "The night shelter gets results because we battle the bureaucracy and health sector to get basic access to services."
Mr Mills said the system was now all about eligibility and entitlement, with people slipping between the cracks because they faced insurmountable obstacles.
"The system has got to the point where it is brutal. Getting access to services from uncaring bureaucracies is our biggest challenge."
Sometimes the process actively excluded people. "Instead of finding ways to make it work, our staff hears 'no' all the time," he said.
Mr Mills detailed how 44 of the 100 men who had stayed in the shelter since it opened nearly 11 months ago had been sleeping rough. The rest were "displaced" and had survived by sleeping in cars, dossing down in garages or couch-hopping.
He said night shelter staff helped resolve benefit issues, engaged budget advisers, assisted with money management and accessed dentists and GPs.
Mental health and addiction problems were commonplace among the men who entered the night shelter.
Staff were saving the community from men who would otherwise have posed a risk of reoffending. Police said the number and severity of incidents related to homeless men had dropped since the night shelter opened.
Asked about future plans, Mr Mills said the trust would like to deal with the issues around homeless women, even although their numbers were not great. There was also more they would like to be doing with youths.
The average length of stay was 45 nights, with the longest guest staying 204 nights.
He said the night shelter has received overwhelming support from the community, including regular donations of food and cash. Morgan Furniture had donated and installed three new leather couches.
