A huge voluntary operation to care for homeless people in Dover has built up since two deaths sparked an outpouring of concern.

The community effort has been outlined by Peter Wallace, trustees’ vice-chairman for the Dover Outreach Centre for the destitute, who stressed the need for continued support.

Addressing the Rotary Club of Dover he talked of the various provisions such as Dover Soup Kitchen at Adrian Street, the Dover Food Bank at The Ark community centre and Beacon Church and the Street Pastors.

The latter scheme has volunteers walking the streets on Friday and Saturday nights to look out fore anyone needing help.

The service began in Dover around 2012 and the homeless men who died were known to the group, making its members determined to help prevent another such tragedy.

After the deaths two to three years ago voluntary groups focused on the need to keep the homeless permanently off the streets and to provide a shelter during the winter.

From this came Dover Outreach Centre, behind St Paul’s RC Church in Maison Dieu Road, which opened last September. Volunteers transformed the building to provide a hall, kitchen, showers, a laundry room and an interview room.

Five churches and a community organisation manned the shelter from December to February so that 60-plus volunteers could provide beds, breakfasts and evening meals to 36 homeless people.

The service was expanded so volunteers could provide advice, counsellling and even hairdressing on weekday mornings.

A doctor also calls in and the charities Porchlight and Turning Point are also involved.

Since the service opened more than 200 people have used it and there are seven on-duty volunteers and a salaried centre manager.

They deal with people with alcohol or drugs addictions, victims of marriage breakdowns and help with the problems of demobbed service personnel.

Mr Wallace said the next stage was to try to find employment opportunities for clients.

The centre costs about £20,000 to run and the Street Pastor system £8,000 to £9,000 a year.