Life at the Salvation Army Emergency Shelter can quickly become a revolving door for a man who finds himself down in the dumps.

Complaining of favouritism, a confusing system of rules, and a policy of demanding a nightly payment from men who are working, a homeless man has shared with The Royal Gazette his feelings about life at the shelter on Parson's Road, Pembroke.

"I just want to make some money so I can get out of there,'' the 30-something man said of the refuge he has sought on several occasions over the past few years.

He has found it difficult to break the cycle.

"The policies just get me so far then I fall back down there,'' the man who requested anonymity said. "Now they are saying I have to come up with $4 a day or I don't have a bed. Guys are going to end up back at square one.'' And another man, in a letter to the Editor, claimed that night shelter residents were putting their belongings in Pembroke Marsh because they cannot store their clothes on the Parson's Road property.

Like the homeless man, the letter writer -- who signed as an "Observer'' -- also called for an investigation, suggesting taxpayers and contributors to the Army would be upset with how the shelter is run.

But the divisional secretary of the Army, Wilson Noble, has defended the shelter, saying the staff "do the best they can with what they have''.

And the manager of the facility has deflected the men's claims, pointing out the shelter is a place for temporary accommodation and that there are still rules that someone who wants to live there must abide by. The man -- called a client in Army parlance -- is in the fourth month of his current stint at the shelter.

Homeless complain about Salvation Army shelter "The place needs a thorough investigation, starting from Harbour Light on down,'' he said. "They're treating us like cattle.'' He has battled with drug addiction in the past and is believed to have had a failed marriage. He refused to talk about his past -- only conditions at the shelter.

He said during the summer he was put in a "difficult position'' of telling an employer he had to finish work early in Dockyard to return to the Parsons Road shelter.

His employer intended to work until sundown -- more than three hours after the cut-off time.

Saying he was speaking out "for the guys that are there with me and will come after me'', the man said he was only looking for "basic fairness'' and added: "Jesus wouldn't do this. He fed the multitude. He wouldn't ask for contributions.

"If I were in charge, I would show guys how to handle money. No, all they (the Army) care is that they get their money for the night.

"It's all about control and finances with them. They don't do much to help us except make it worse. Right now Booth Three has been closed for two months, that's 20 beds that could be used for street people.'' The Shelter is divided into four booths, with one for women, another for men about to transfer into the Harbour Light drug rehabilitation facility, and Booth Three is for men who are working and can pay for a semi-permanent bed in $35-a-week instalments.

Booth Four is the night shelter where men must present themselves by 5 p.m. to reserve a bed or wait until after 10 p.m. for any bed upon availability.

In 1998 Government gave the Salvation Army $417,000 to run its shelters, a figure comparable to what it gives to sports development and foster parent fees.

"When you demand money from someone, you are demanding rent,'' the man said.

"With rent comes certain things. They call it `contributions' and call themselves a charitable organisation.

"Government gives them money to provide a bed. When my grandmother, who came up in the Army, found out I had to pay she was shocked. How many other members of the public know that we guys have to pay $5 every night?'' The man also complained of a lack of written rules which he said "change with the wind''.

"How am I supposed to abide by the rules if I don't know them?'' he said.

An example he said is a former rule where if a man paid for a bed on a Friday, he would have access to one on the Saturday and the Sunday.

"Just on Sunday gone, a man was denied a bed because he came in late,'' he said. "He paid on Friday. He paid on Saturday, and he had money on Sunday. It was never like that before.

"It's a business. There is no flexibility. They just want more money. Guys have to turn down night jobs because they have to be in by 5 p.m. I'm not out partying. I'm not getting high. I'm working!'' Speaking about a visit by The Royal Gazette last December, to find out what it was like to live in a shelter during Christmas, the man claimed the property had been cleaned and painted just for the occasion -- a charge denied by the management.

"Your visit last year was a joke,'' he said. "You were being spoon fed and being used to give the public a good view. But people should talk to the guys.'' In the letter to the Editor, Observer claimed the clients of the shelter he has spoken to are afraid to speak out for fear of reprisals.

The letter writer also claimed there was a leak in a roof at the shelter which has not been fixed for "years''.

In response, Hugo Mayers, the Emergency Shelter's manager, said the shelter is a temporary home to a variety of people from different backgrounds who must abide by the rules -- which they are apprised of when they first register.

And he explained that Booth Three had been shut down for several reasons, particularly upcoming renovations, but also because of persistent violations of Army code, including drug use and trespassing by unauthorised people.

The men in the booth were either relocated into other booths or opted to move out of the shelter.

"The Emergency Shelter is really meant to provide a place to lie down,'' he said. "There are people here from diverse backgrounds, and we have great difficulty pleasing everybody.

"Our mandate is to provide rehabilitation. We are to deal with individuals with respect and dignity,'' he added.

Some residents have anger management difficulty, multiple addictions or find it difficult to hold a job, he said, adding: "We try to cater to all their needs.'' Not all clients are expected to pay the nightly fee, he said, only if they can. But Mr. Mayers said some shelter residents have admitted they could earn up to $900 a week.

Asked what was his estimate of the average monthly wages and earnings of the clients, Mr. Mayers said: "For those that are working legitimately, and hustling, I would say about $350 a week.

Mr. Mayers detailed the Shelter's routine, which includes supper and breakfast for all residents, and lunches to non-residents, a separate day shelter, as well as maintenance arrangements with the Ministry of Works and Engineering.

"For the men here, we let them know there is help and we encourage them to enter Harbour Light,'' he said. "But to do that they have to detox. They have to be clean, and they really have to want to change.''