Housing developments are being commissioned at a faster rate than ever, matched only by the rate at which more people are ending up on the streets.

Figures released by church group Sanctuary, set up by City Praise Centre in conjunction with Gravesend Methodist Church and Churches Together in Gravesham, show there are hundreds of homeless people in the borough in desperate need of help.

With so many being priced out of the property market, the number of new homes being built is irrelevant to an increasingly large percentage of the population.

Sanctuary offered help to 106 people from December 2015 to March last year, but it has already been eclipsed with almost two months still to run.

For senior pastor Tom Griffiths, it is not just the number of people that need help that is an eye-opener, but the range.

He said: “We’ve had doctors here who have been the local GP and are now on the street. The break-up of marriages is a big one, people with mental health issues and people who have just lost their job.

“We have got young women, older women, people who in the advanced stages of cancer all on the street. The living wage is not enough to cover even the cheapest housing in Gravesend.

“One of the first things that happens when you’re on the street is that you get robbed. You lose your documentation, so you can’t open a bank account and you can’t get a job. You go the council and can’t prove anything.”

The desperation of people on the streets has been exacerbated by the weather conditions, with this year’s winter far colder than the relatively mild temperatures of last.

Sanctuary’s overnight shelter, which runs at Gravesend Methodist Church from December to March, has a capacity of 20. The snowfall two weeks ago saw 30 people taken in, stretching volunteers to the absolute limit.

The pressure on homeless charities and services, coupled with the deaths of two rough sleepers in Medway over Christmas, has seen some Kent councils, including Gravesham, implement a severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP).

SWEP means the council has to open an shelter for the night, but Mr Griffiths does not see it as an effective solution to the country’s homelessness crisis.

He said: “SWEP doesn’t mean diddly-squat. Last week they implemented it here, but if you’re homeless, how are you going to find out it’s been implemented?

“How do you know where to go? The council offices are closed at night. People are told to come along to somewhere like Sanctuary, which they do anyway.

“If you’re homeless, you should be housed. Don’t ask a lot of questions. It might cost the government more money, but it costs them more to have someone on the street.

“People on the street end up with alcohol problems, drug problems, medical conditions that don’t get picked up and then cost the NHS a lot of money.

“If I had no money and needed food, I would steal it. You might like to think you wouldn’t, but if it’s that or starve then you would, so it costs police time as well.”

Government cuts mean that councils are having to make major savings, so cash being spared for increased support for the homeless seems unlikely.

Sanctuary, meanwhile, is fully funded by the churches and donations, with a team of volunteers working full-time to provide the service homeless people need. More than 930 meals have been served this winter, 260 nights on the street have been prevented and 23 people have been rehomed, with some even repatriated.

It has been quite some journey for the service, which was launched by Mr Griffiths after he was given a pertinent glimpse into what it was like to live on the streets.

He said: “A couple of years ago my wife and I met a homeless person on the street and got to know her over a period of nights.

People on the street end up with alcohol problems, drug problems, medical conditions that don’t get picked up and then cost the NHS a lot of money" Tom Griffiths

“That led to us wandering the street at night and finding out who else was out there in the same situation and as we got towards winter we realised they were going to be seriously screwed when the cold weather arrived.

“Gravesend Methodist Church had a great venue and we had the will to do it. Last year Sanctuary ran a shelter three nights a week at the church and had 180 volunteers.

“We provide an evening meal, a laundry service, a sleeping bag, a shower, a hot breakfast the next morning and all the things someone needs to survive on the streets.

“It’s become a real community and all the people who come here really see it as home now.”

The church is open during the day to provide people with help, advice, and essential items for living on the street. The overnight shelter is open three times a week.

Among the volunteers are Steve and Lorna Nolan, who work at the City Praise Centre full-time. Without the commitment of people like them, Sanctuary would not work and large swathes of Gravesham’s homeless would be without help.

If you want to help at Sanctuary, either by volunteering or donating, or are in need of help yourself, call 07496 832 228 or visit graveshamsanctuary.uk.