"I'm feeling relieved but a bit haggard," said Pastor George Esser, who runs the shelter.

When it closed its doors Friday morning many of the men who use the service weren't sure where they would spend the night, said Don Welles, who works at the centre.

"It was emotional. There were some tears and some confused people." But Mike Schnare, Sarnia's director of planning and building, temporarily reversed the decision pending further investigation. The shelter can stay open this weekend and Schnare will review the decision with the chief building officer. Schnare believes there might be other places in the building the men can safely stay while the work is underway.

"At the end of the day if people are going to be staying overnight we need to ensure it's in a safe facility," he said.

The repairs are needed to bring the building up to safety and fire code. The shelter has already scrapped plans for a six-bed women's area because it can't afford the required upgrades, Esser said.

"We're disappointed about that because we think the service is needed in the community.

Esser worries Sarnia will be pushing its homeless problem off on a city like London if the shelter closes. More than 110 men have used it since November and many are under the age of 25 with nowhere else to go.

Esser said the church and 60 shelter volunteers are in the unenviable position of becoming fundraisers to support the venture. "We're in the business of caring for people, not asking people for money," said Esser. "We could do it all in two weeks if we had the money."