Organizers of the Bryony House Dare to Dream Home Lottery are making a last-minute plea to the public to purchase tickets in support of the charity.

They were hoping to sell 60,000 tickets, but only 17,200 have been sold so far. With only 10 days left, they need to sell another 5,000 tickets to break even.

“I think we’re all feeling it right now, trying to figure out how this is all going to end,” says Laurie Ehler, the executive director of Bryony House. “But I think we’re very happy and pleased with their efforts.”

The Dare to Dream Home Lottery is being run by ALPC Housing Solutions for Bryony House, a shelter for women who have experienced violence.

“Even the public awareness that we’ve gotten from all of the lottery since it started has been fantastic for us,” says Ehler.

However, there has been confusion over whether the charity can award a cash prize of $600,000 instead of the home in Waverley, N.S.

A spokesperson for the Alcohol and Gaming Division says a charity cannot arbitrarily award a cash prize instead of a house. There is a provision which allows for that, but only if the house cannot be awarded due to encumbrances, such as a fire.

“There’s a clause there that they need to investigate,” says Ehler.

Meanwhile, the builder says she has learned from the experience.

“Our website wasn’t ready to receive ticket purchases for almost a month, so that really put a kill on things,” says Kris Martin of ALPC Housing Solutions.

Martin also believes the inability to advertise played a factor in slow sales.

“They wanted to do a more grassroots approach and, it’s just taken, a lot of people still don’t know about it,” says Ehler.

Ehler says what they really want people to know is that Bryony House exists and is ready to help women and children in need.

She also says Bryony House won’t do another home lottery again.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell