The number of rough sleepers in our town centres is a worrying sight - with the picture varying dramatically depending on which part of the county you are in.

But what’s it really like to be homeless in Kent? Reporter Max Chesson spoke to those struggling to put a roof over their heads - and the charity workers trying to help them amid ever-increasing pressures…

At the Bus Shelter Kent Community Hub in Phoenix House, Sittingbourne, I met many people looking for food, warmth and a friendly face.

Among them was Dan, who has been without a home for two-and-a-half years, being kicked out of his last residence for falling behind on his rent.

He shook my hand and smiled as he awaited a meal from the kitchen.

I asked him what it’s like to be homeless in Kent.

“It's hard because you'll be moving around from one place to the next. You never know where you're going to be,” he said.

“I get by sitting under different buildings and stuff but it is difficult.

“In the past couple of years, more people have been coming here [to Phoenix House] and have been on the streets.

“Having a community like Phoenix House is brilliant. It’s the best thing ever.”

That sense of belonging is more important than you might think for homeless people.

It also means protection in crowds, as sadly violence against lone rough sleepers isn’t unheard of.

Attitudes towards homeless people can be deplorable, with even the government coming in for criticism.

The new Criminal Justice Bill, which ministers say will target "nuisance begging", has been branded “cruel” by charities. Its definition of “nuisance” includes people sleeping in a doorway, those creating "excessive smell" and as many as 40 Tory MPs have threatened to rebel against it.

Dan said: “You need to get to know people when you're homeless – you'll feel better then.

“It can be lonely. It can also be unsafe.

“I sit with a lot of friends, usually. They're on the streets so you sit with them and it helps.

“We get treated with respect around here so it’s OK.

“It’s not good being out in the streets, but this ain’t a bad place to be on the streets – it’s as good as it can be.”

Right now, Dan is sofa surfing at a friend’s house so would not be counted as a rough sleeper.

But he is homeless and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

By his own admission, he is “on and off the streets all the time”.

According to Shelter, in December last year, as many as 309,000 people were homeless in England. Almost 140,000 of these were children and the numbers represent a 14% increase compared to 2022.

Homelessness statistics include those in temporary accommodation as well as rough sleepers – essentially anyone without a permanent residence.

KentOnline revealed last year how spending on such housing in the county had doubled, with one councillor describing the conditions at some placements as “criminal”.

Kent’s rough sleeping hotspot

A few days later in Canterbury, I joined Catching Lives at 6am for an outreach morning. We walked around the city centre looking to identify potential new sleeping camps - such as the tents lined up outside the former Wilko store.

The charity, which has been operating since 2010, has seen a stark rise in the number of people using its services – with more than 11,000 in 2023.

Since the government started collecting rough sleeping statistics, Canterbury accounts for almost 20% of people in the whole county found on the streets in the past 13 years.

During our two hours together, we come across dozens of rough sleepers, with many choosing to set up on green spaces that surround the city.

Graeme Solly, a manager at Catching Lives, said: “In terms of numbers we're seeing and the support needs our clients are presenting with, I think we could certainly say we're heading to that kind of crisis point if things don't change.

“We're seeing a rise in people rough sleeping and being homeless, as well as those insecurely housed. We're seeing people struggling across the board.

“We're at our busiest time at the moment. We're seeing 40 people most days and we even get 50 people on some days.”

Catching Lives offers washing facilities, internet and phone access, toilets and showers, food and even an address - so people on the streets can get post safely delivered and sign up for services that require such information.

There are also support services which help with housing, benefits and employment. The charity also works with other organisations, ranging from Citizen's Advice to domestic abuse services and councils.

But not every homeless person is receptive to charitable efforts.

There can be many reasons for this – and the long-running blame game on alcohol and drugs features less than you might expect.

Some people feel safer outside of the system, believing they’ve been let down too many times.

Others don’t know where to turn to begin with and find themselves distrusting someone with honourable intentions.

Perhaps above all, embarrassment is why a homeless person might shy away from those trying to help.

Catching Lives – and many others – often try their best to find sustainable, long-term solutions which help prevent a person from falling back into old habits.

However, repeat homelessness is still remarkably common.

“Over the years we've seen a lot of familiar faces because they've lost that accommodation and there's a lot of different reasons why that is,” said Graeme.

“For some, it is not being able to afford the bills. For others, it's the isolation of moving into accommodation and often it's out of the area they've been homeless in.

“They've had a lot of people around them on the street and then the accommodation they find is far away and they're spending hours of the day isolated and they struggle to keep that accommodation.

“For others, it is not being able to cope with mental health issues and not being able to meet the criteria to be supported by services long-term.

“So there are lots of different reasons that people have tried their hardest but have not been able to keep hold of accommodation.”

With so many moving parts, it can be an incredibly slow process to get people into better situations.

Councils are inclined to help those from their district in the first instance and can refuse to help people who go absent.

How is homelessness measured?

The latest government statistics paint a grim picture for rough sleepers – yet do not present the full story.

The annual autumn snapshot is described by officials as the “most robust measure of rough sleeping on a single night” but has its flaws.

It provides information about the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night between October 1 and November 30 each year, based on figures provided to them by each council in England.

This is to provide a way of estimating the number of people sleeping rough across the country on a single night and provide a base to assess changes over time.

People sleeping rough are defined as those sleeping or about to bed down in open-air locations and other places including tents and makeshift shelters.

It does not include people in hostels or shelters, or those in recreational or organised protest, squatter or traveller campsites and records only those people seen, or thought to be, sleeping rough on a single night.

The snapshot also does not include everyone in an area with a history of sleeping rough, or everyone sleeping rough in areas across the October to November period.

If taken at face value, the number of people sleeping rough on a single night in Kent could be 146.

In England, the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2023 has risen by 27% since 2022.

Canterbury (33), Thanet (23) and Medway (20) should account for more than half of these while between Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells there might be just six rough sleepers.

114 of those would be men, and 78% will give their age as being over 25 years old. 108 would say they are from the UK, while 10 will claim they are citizens of non-EU or UK territories.

There are clear divides in both demographics and areas most affected by homelessness.

However, it doesn’t come close to the peaks seen in 2017, with numbers 18% lower than they were seven years ago.

But naturally, not everyone can be accounted for – and those who might find themselves rough sleeping one night and on a friend’s sofa the next have every chance of being forgotten about.

The true number of Kent’s homeless community may never be known.