Growing fears for plight of homeless as winter nears
Freezing temperatures could put the lives of the County Town’s growing homeless population at risk this winter, a charity has warned.
Andy James, project manager at Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter (MCWS), believes there will be more than a hundred on the streets over Christmas – seven for each one of the 15 beds offered to the most vulnerable people during the coldest months of the year.
The campaign, now in its fifth year, offers a comfortable place to sleep in the town’s many churches manned by a group of loyal volunteers. They are calling for more people to come forward to help.
Mr James said: “In the fifth biggest economy in the world, in 2017 it’s a shameful fact that people could die on the street in Maidstone this winter, and the problem is only getting worse by the month with over a hundred desperate people striving to survive on our streets and parks this winter. We can blame national politicians, we can blame cutbacks in housing and care funding and of course we can blame the homeless themselves, but that is simply not fair or true.
“MCWS see people from all walks of life, including white collar professionals who, only 12 months earlier could not in their worst nightmare see themselves ever being without a home, but it happens and it is getting worse by the day.”
There are many factors which cause people to become homeless, including substance abuse, relationship breakdown or trouble with the law.
But a conference earlier this month also heard growing numbers of the poorest in society are being hit by a lack of affordable housing or finding their benefit payments exceeded by the rents demanded by private landlords, some of whom illegally discriminate against claimants.
Mr James added:“There is a genuine risk we could turn people way who could then freeze to death if the weather turns.”
The shelter runs from December 23 to March 26. It arose from churches in Maidstone, but welcomes volunteers of all faiths or none at all.
For more information visit: www.maidstoneshelter.org.uk.