The condition of the ageing Marsh Lane shelter is hardly a major headache for Dudley Quinton Liburd.

While most Bermudians would balk at living in the prefab site, he has few gripes about the place that has been home for the last five years.

?Beggars can?t be choosers,? said the optimistic 59 year old.

?I?m just happy to be here. I?ve never noticed the state of the building.?

He said the Salvation Army site was a ?Godsend? that had saved him from a life on the streets after he lost his house.

Officials who run the site say Dudley?s attitude is common among residents who ? despite the holes in plywood walls and flimsy, rotting floors ? are just happy to have a roof over their heads.

But the Salvation Army says the existing building is dangerous and has to be replaced fast. They also say many homeless people, who keep sleeping rough because they are put off by the ?stigma? currently attached to the complex, would come to a more modern replacement.

Mr. Liburd, who had held a variety of jobs ranging from kitchen porter to labourer, said the shelter had helped him stay alive as he went about the tough task of rebuilding his life and gathering the skills needed to find a job in a competitive workplace. He recently completed the Salvation Army?s Dreaming In Colour project, which aims to make homeless people more employable by preparing them for interviews and helping them draw up CVs.