More needs to be done to protect Dartford’s growing homeless population as rough sleepers begin to face potentially deadly overnight temperatures.

After two men sleeping rough in Chatham were found dead over the Christmas period, Labour councillors have called on Dartford council to provide emergency accommodation to those on the streets.

Dartford Churches Winter Shelter (DCWS) is taking in 10 homeless people a night for the next three months, just weeks after the Messenger revealed how the borough’s number of rough sleepers was the highest in Kent relative to population.

With night time temperatures dropping below zero this week, Cllr Jonathon Hawkes, the leader of Dartford Labour, has criticised the council’s response to the homelessness crisis.

He said: “The next few days are likely to be incredibly tough for rough sleepers in Dartford.

“In light of the warning from Public Health England (PHE) and recent tragic events in Medway, Labour are calling on the council to use its powers to act immediately and trigger the arrangements so that emergency accommodation can be offered.

“Sadly, the response so far has not been good enough. No one wants to see a repeat of the tragic events we’ve seen in Medway.”

Emergency accommodation is provided by the activation of a Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP), which the council is obliged to implement when night time temperatures are predicted to be zero degrees or below for three consecutive nights.

Although that has not been met this week, Cllr Hawkes believes the opening of the DCWS and advice from homelessness charity Porchlight show that there is a need to trigger SWEP immediately.

His Labour colleague Cllr Mandy Garford, of Stone, added: “The MET office forecast for night time temperatures on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (yesterday) are -2, 1 and 1. However, the wind chill means that actually feels like -4, -2 and -1.

"No one wants to see a repeat of the tragic events we’ve seen in Medway" Cllr Jonathon Hawkes

“In these conditions the council should be triggering SWEP to offer emergency accommodation to those on the streets to prevent a death in Dartford.”

Last week, PHE issued a “level three” cold weather alert for the first time since January 2016 and warned people across the country that “cold does kill”. Medway Council responded by putting SWEP in place last Thursday, December 29.

Dartford has 337 homeless people in temporary accommodation and another 10 sleeping rough — that is one in 293 people who are without a home.

That makes it the eighth worst local authority in the South East and the worst in Kent, faring far worse than neighbouring Gravesham and even Medway.

Dartford’s homelessness crisis has often been blamed on London overflow, with private temporary accommodation being rented by the capital’s boroughs leaving fewer homes available for local people.

Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) has acknowledged the issue and is committed to ensuring that all Dartford homes under council control go to local people first.

At a cabinet meeting last month, members reiterated their pride at seeing new council houses being built in Temple Hill, despite opposition from some residents.

Cllr Kite said: “These are 100% council houses. They are exactly what people say councils should be delivering and isn’t it bizarre that it’s a Tory council that’s delivering the first ones in Dartford for 30 or 40 years.

“Building council houses is the future. Conservative, Labour, Independents, it doesn’t matter to me — build council houses.”

More than £10 million has been set aside to build council housing in Dartford over the next three years and a plan will identify more land for further development.

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"I know of a couple who have been living in a car for the last four years"

Dartford Churches Winter Shelter project administrator Michael Pethick said he and volunteers would do all they could to get people off the streets.

The project, funded by Dartford Churches and donations, aims to provide homeless people with a hot meal and a bed every night from this week until March 31.

Mr Pethick explained: “We take up to 10 single homeless people over the age of 18 — they can be referred by churches or other charities.

“We can’t accept people with severe mental health needs as the project is run entirely by volunteers who don’t have the right training to help them.

“This will be our fourth year and we work closely with Porchlight. Our aim is to take these people off the streets. We hope we can refer them to someone who will be able to give them more help to find a permanent home.

"We hope we can refer them to someone who will be able to give them more help to find a permanent home" Michael Pethick

“The homeless figures don’t take sofa surfers into account and there is a growing number. I know of a couple who have been living in a car for the last four years.”

Volunteers are still needed. They will need to stay overnight between 10pm and 6.45am, with the shelter being held at a different church each night.

On Sundays the shelter will be at the Net Church in Spital Street and on Mondays there will be a meal at the Salvation Army in Hythe Street, but the overnight stay will be at the Grace Outreach Church in East Hill.

On Tuesdays the shelter will be at Christ Church, Cross Road, before moving to Spital Street Methodist Church on Wednesdays, St Edmunds Church in St Edmunds Road on Thursdays, the Gateway Vineyard Church in Market Street on Fridays and at the Brent Methodist Church in St Vincents Road on Saturdays.

For information call 07340 982925 or email dartfordwintershelter@gmail.com.