A homeless shelter has been able to employ two members of staff this year after Dartford council awarded it £10,000.

It is the first time the authority has funded the Dartford Churches Winter Shelter, which runs for three months from Tuesday, January 2, at seven churches in the borough.

Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite said while it would have gone ahead even without the funding, the money has taken significant pressure off the charity, which can now spend the money it has raised to improve the service.

He said: “Homelessness is a very complex situation and the stories you hear are not always negative but actually some can be quite positive. The winter shelter is one of those positive stories. It does some really great work and it really deserved the funding.

“The churches can now spend the money they have raised on other things to improve the service. Last year it cost £8,500 to run so the £10,000 should more than cover the cost.”

He said the shelter means instead of homeless people from Dartford being moved to other parts of the county they could be accommodated closer to their roots.#

"The winter shelter is one of those positive stories. It does some really great work and it really deserved the funding." — Council leader Jeremy Kite

Organiser John Atkins said: “In previous years we have funded the shelter entirely from generous donations and contributions from local churches so the news that Dartford council is to meet the cost could not be more welcome.

“It will lift the financial pressure and allow us to focus on providing more advice and support to guests.

“Helping people in homeless crisis works best in partnership and we’re proud of the way everyone has come together to support our work. We are very grateful for the council’s contribution and confidence.”

In November, we reported how Dartford has the worst homelessness rate in the whole of the county.

Figures from charity Shelter showed there were nine officially registered rough sleepers in the borough and 642 homeless people.

At the time the problem was blamed on the ballooning population and lack of council housing.

In 2013 it was revealed the borough was falling victim to London’s housing crisis, with 436 temporary accommodation properties rented out by London boroughs in the four years up to that point.