A petition set up to save Aberdeen’s Albyn House from closure has gained nearly 2,000 signatures in a matter of days.
NHS Grampian and Police Scotland have confirmed their intention to withdraw funding for the drying-out house in the city’s Dee Street, which has given assistance to vulnerable people for more than 30 years.
Albyn House helps around 800 people every year by taking intoxicated people off the streets and providing them with shelter, preventing them from being locked up in police cells or sent to an accident and emergency department.
The petition has been created by local man Calum MacIntyre, who said: “Currently, the service costs approximately £360,000 a year to run, which is considerably less than treating this number of people in hospital.
“These people will be left in a vulnerable or potentially dangerous position without this essential service.”
His campaign has been backed by North East MSP Lewis Macdonald, who believes the decision to shut down the facility ignores the many practical benefits it offers to people in Aberdeen.
Mr Macdonald said: “I think the number of people who have already signed the petition shows the strength of feeling there is about this decision.
“If Albyn House didn’t exist, you would want to invent it.
“And if it helps keep people out of police cells or beds in A&E departments, it is doing a valuable job for the community in Aberdeen.
“I am still hopeful we can reverse the decision, because, in the big picture, Albyn House provides much more value for money while keeping people safe than any other option in the city.”
Police declined to comment on the matter last night and NHS Grampian did not respond to requests.