The number of homeless men seeking a temporary roof over their head has tripled at a volunteer service this year, and it is the over-50s who have lead the diverse gatherers.
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Ray was one of these men at the St Columba's Uniting Church's hall in Braddon several nights last month.
The former fruit picker and cook has worked around the country, but the simple mattress and warm room was a relief from a standard night on the street for the 52-year-old.
"It's exhausting, and it's really exhausting mentally as well," he said.
"You're always worried, if you're on your own you're worried you might get bashed.
"It does your head in."
Ray said the reason he and others ended up without a place to call their own are varied.
For some it's drugs and mental health problems, for others, "hard luck".
"I went to my old man's funeral, and when I went back my girlfriend had an apprehended violence order against me and she's in my house," he said.
The father and grandfather said he had never been violent, but the order pushed him to leave Albury two months ago.
It's been two years since his last job.
Shelter ACT has found those under 25 have the highest risk of becoming homeless, but Safe Shelter coordinator Richard Griffiths said an estimated 60 per cent of the men who had stayed a night at the church hall since this year's opening on April 28 were 50-plus.
There had been 24 men stay at least one night in the first five weeks, up from seven for the same period last year.
Numbers across this year's coldest months were expected to be up about 50 per cent this year, despite offering the same number of beds - eight - each night over three nights per week.
"We would expect to see somewhere north of 150 guests this year," he said.
Mr Griffiths said it was hoped a good night's sleep would help the men deal with their welfare issues during the day.
Ray would one day like to return to Western Australia where his daughter lives.
But for now, he thinks the capital is "quite a nice place".
"I think Canberra would be a good place to get a job," he said.
Ray has been accepted into emergency accommodation since first speaking to the Sunday Canberra Times.
Mr Griffiths said Safe Shelter was still looking for extra venues which would allow it to provide sleeping places for those in Civic seven nights a week.
The latest census data showed 50 in 10,000 Canberrans were considered homeless, a 70 per cent increase on 2006 figures.
