MP ANN Widdecombe unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the official opening of a hostel and day care centre for the homeless in Maidstone on Monday.

The £3.8m complex, called Lily Smith House, combines temporary housing for the homeless, a day centre and emergency accommodation for homeless families on one site.

The project is the result of a partnership between housing association English Churches Housing Group, the charity Maidstone Christian Care Centre and Maidstone Borough Council.

It will provide a wide set of support and services ranging from a laundry, home-cooked food and general health advice in the day centre, to IT training and employment support in the housing project.

Miss Widdecombe, the patron of Maidstone Christian Care, said the project was "the realisation of a very ambitious vision and couldn't have done without the help of the entire community."

She added: "I am very grateful those who drove it forward and those whose donations made it possible."

The hostel will provide accommodation for 30 single people, as well as 10 self-contained rooms for those ready to start living independently, and two flats providing short-term accommodation for families which face emergency homelessness. Security and close staff support are key features of the project.

The day centre will be run by Maidstone Christian Care, which has supported the town's homeless and vulnerable people since 1986 and previously ran a centre in Ashford Road.

Each weekday the centre provides hot meals for more than 45 vulnerable people who are sleeping rough or facing homelessness.

Miss Widdecombe paid particular tribute to Patricia McCabe, who founded Maidstone Christian Care, and Maidstone Lions, who funded the day centre's £25,000 living room.

Among the other VIPs at the ceremony were Deputy Lieutenant of Kent Bill Cockcroft, Kent Chief Constable Michael Fuller, ECHG's chief executive Peter Walkers, and the Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Peter Hooper.

The Mayor said: "It is a very great privilege to be here today to take part in this opening. To be without a roof over your head and have no food to eat must be one of the worst fears you can have. Unfortunately for so many people it is not just a fear, it is a stark reality.

"On behalf of the borough council, I would like to congratulate those who brought this project to fruition and offer my best wishes to the staff and volunteers who will be supporting some of the most vulnerable in our community and are giving them a chance of a better life."

Mr Walters said: "What we are providing is stability, safety and security for people who have been through a traumatic experience which thankfully most of us have not been through."