Homelessness is a "humanitarian crisis on our doorsteps" and government funding is not enough, a charity boss has warned.

Paul Todd, from Catching Lives, Canterbury, fears the £2.5 million that was given to Kent councils to prevent Covid-related homelessness, after families found themselves struggling throughout the pandemic, barely scratches the surface.

The Canterbury Charity, Catching Lives, says the £2.5m isn't doing enough to tackle the homeless crisis

He said: "We're seeing people threatened with homelessness more or less on a daily basis.

"We're hearing from people who have been discharged from hospital and prisons without any where to go and we are seeing this more and more often.

"And the problem is, without extra money we can't do as much or as well and I know every charity is struggling with funds at the moment but we in particular are dealing with a humanitarian issue right on our doorstep."

Although Paul has said the Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF) funding, which has also been used by food banks and homeless communities, has been life saving, he explained how more should be done.

He added: "We've not had a break between the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

"So I think the government should apply it's funding to taking the pressure off people and give them chance to take a better stop of the situations."

So far, almost £1.5m of the funding given to Kent councils has been used, with 12 councils being awarded £175,000 thanks to a bid by Kent Housing Group to Kent County Council.

Sharon Williams, Chair of Kent Housing Group, which is a forum for housing organisations in Kent and Medway, said: “It’s no secret that times are hard, so to have distributed almost £1.5m really shows how important this funding is.”

The money is being focused on supporting the prevention of homelessness of private rented sector tenants.

But there is also help available for other forms of tenure, including social housing and owner-occupiers, to enhance the existing processes that are in place for these households.

So far the funding has been used to help the self-employed and individuals who lost work at the start of the pandemic.

One family had found themselves with rent arrears of nearly £8,000 after redundancy and furlough saw them struggle to keep up with living costs.

They said: “I am mortified that it got this bad and I was shocked at how quickly things got totally out of control.

"We were just buying the absolute essentials like food and heating. I was terrified of talking to the housing association.

"I got so low I attempted suicide. Because we’d always worked, we didn’t understand the benefits system but we finally made a claim for Universal Credit.

"We told them about the mess we were in with our rent and asked them to pay the landlord directly in future.

“I was so relieved when I heard about COMF, and that we could pay the rent arrears and save our home.

"With the support of the fund I know I can keep a roof over my kids’ heads and I hope that gradually our life will get back to normal."

In total £1.44m has been spent so far. The COMF funding must be used by 30 June 2022 but ongoing support will be available after this time.

Sharon Williams added: “Although this particular funding has a time limit, councils across Kent will continue to have dedicated staff available to help landlords resolve difficulties with their tenants.

"They can help negotiate to find solutions and can advise on everything from tackling anti-social behaviour and tenants not looking after a property to requesting direct benefit payments.

" No one wants to get into debt or be at risk of losing their home so we are pleased to have been able to already use so much of this money to help keep people in their homes.”

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