The St Kilda Gatehouse started the bid to open for an extra day or night a week after the anniversary of Tracy Connelly's death.

Ms Connelly's body was found by her partner Tony Melissovas in a van parked outside the shelter on July 21 last year.

She was a sex worker who had been living in the van on Greeves Street. Police believe she was killed by a client.

St Kilda Gatehouse drop-in coordinator Jim Panakos said Ms Connelly's friends and fellow workers had urged the centre to extend hours, but there was no funding to do so.

Mr Panakos said those women felt safer when the centre was open and that he had pondered whether Ms Connelly would still be alive if it had not been closed on the night she died.

"The goal is to make it as safe as possible, but unless it's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, that can be difficult," Mr Panakos said.

"The girls are still in fear and there's been a lot of grief.

"They're a lot more wary about getting into cars now, and about working at night when Gatehouse isn't open."

The centre is likely to open on Wednesdays after the crowd funding success, with an extra $35,000 needed to be raised by Tuesday for hours to be extended to cover Saturdays or Sundays. The pledges must be honoured if the initial target, which was $35,000, is met.

Mr Panakos said as many as 30 people a day could visit Gatehouse for issues relating to mental health, drug addiction, homelessness or sexual assault. Some stop by just to have a cup of tea and a chat.

Fairfax Media reported in July that police had sent DNA believed to be from Ms Connelly's killer to Interpol and were sifting through records of more than 3000 number plates, which Mr Melissovas copied from the cars of clients for 18 months before the murder.

The crowd funding project ends on Wednesday. To pledge visit: pozible.com/project/184331