The Auckland City Mission, pushed to its limits this winter with demand for its services, has said New Zealand is "suffering" under the housing crisis.
Heartbreakingly, the pressure means they're being forced to turn desperate people away.
"I know the first person I ever sat with and said, 'I'm sorry, I have nowhere to place you tonight, here is a blanket - welcome to our city' - it was horrible. I never want to do it again," the Mission's Helen Robinson told Newshub.
"There are some people that we just can't help. It's a day-to-day struggle."
Ms Robinson was on the verge of tears when speaking with Newshub, revealing just how pinched the charity is.
"I think New Zealand, and then Auckland again particularly, is really suffering," she said.
"I use that word with some choice - suffering, the reality of a housing crisis... We have many, many people with genuine need who aren't being housed."
The charity is stuck, unable to help those who need it most. Some of those desperate people are ex-prisoners, released with just $300 and told to find their own way.
One man Newshub spoke to, fresh out of jail, said he was sleeping rough in bus stops and door steps, unable to afford anything better.
After concerns were raised with Corrections, he was put into a motel for two weeks. He's grateful for the effort, but says there are others like him still on the streets.
Ms Robinson says for those with a criminal record, it's just one more hoop they have to jump through to get housing.
"One of the things the Mission stands by is that every one of us is a human being," she said.
"When there's a real shortage of supply, people get to pick and choose who they want to receive.
"As part of that process, if you have a criminal record or currently have an issue with the justice department, then that truly becomes an obstacle that would stop someone getting access to accommodation."
Ms Robinson says organisations like the Mission are doing "the best they can". Unfortunately for some, it's not enough.
Newshub.
