Moncton is putting aside money for new shelters, but a prominent advocate for the homeless says there needs to be a better long-term solution.

Rev. David Way has been working with the community chaplaincy for more than 15 years.

Some of his work is done in conjunction with the Moncton Wesleyan Church, where he also serves as a care pastor.

Way helps ex-offenders re-enter the community, many who are without homes, and who resort to shelters once they out of prison.

Way says increasing shelter capacity will only increase the number of homeless people in the long run.

“People go in there for a while and then they're on the street,” Way says. “So the more people that we have in shelters, eventually, the more people we will have back on the street.”

Cal Maskery, founder of Harvest House Atlantic, says shelters are not meant to be a long-term solution.

“Shelters are meant to be emergency help, not meant to be long-term,” Maskery said. “That keeps people in a state of not being able to move forward.”

In order to move forward, Way has set up a plan to create a 19-bedroom apartment complex.

“A better solution is one that we are looking at and that is some permanent, affordable, safe housing that has an element of supervision and relationship,” Way said.

The City of Moncton says their plan right now is to find a temporary solution -- to create a temporary shelter for four months during the winter.

“What we're looking at is really a short-term stop-gap fix,” said City of Moncton spokeswoman Isabelle Leblanc. “So, we're looking for the winter months, December through the end of March.”

The city has identified two sites possible for temporary shelters, and will now wait on the province for additional funding.

Maskery and Way agree this will fix the problem -- but only for now.

“The new shelters they're doing are going to alleviate this winter, but next year they're going to need funding again,” Maskery said.

In order for Way to continue with his plan for affordable housing, he will need $1.6 million. So far, no much-need financial help has been available.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kate Walker.