Regional Counselling and Mentoring Services has established a night shelter at its Alexander Street premises.

RCMS hopes the move will help alleviate homelessness and clarify how many men are without accommodation.

“We know people come and go, but once the shelter opens we will see what the demand is and how many men we’re turning away,” RCMS management committee chairman Barry Critchison said.

“Initially, the shelter will work as a stop-gap, but it will enable us to get solid data with a view to applying for more substantial men’s crisis accommodation in the future.”

In December last year Daphne Cotton completed a report commissioned by the Great Southern Development Commission on the plight of homeless men in Albany.

Ms Cotton said the study did not record accurate numbers of people sleeping rough, but revealed a changing pattern of homeless men in crisis.

“Where once there were more older homeless men and the occasional younger man, now because of the drug culture, there are more younger men and that’s posing a slightly different problem,” Ms Cotton said.

“People who run cheaper accommodation places are less willing to take in people who have been involved with drugs, because their staff have not been trained to deal with people who may be violent and disruptive to others.

“Where once there was low-cost accommodation in backpackers and hostels in Albany, this is now not the case.

“People are now asking for some assurance that people are transient or travellers rather than homeless.”

The community-run shelter at RCMS will open its doors next Wednesday. Homeless men will be able to register between 5.30pm and 7.30pm, seven days a week.

“We do have criteria which must be met,” RCMS manager Margaret Gordon said.

“The RCMS has a duty of care to its neighbours, so we don’t want to encourage people who are coming from the pub or nightclub.

“People can get very loud and aggressive after drinking alcohol, and we just want to create a quiet and peaceful place.”