As temperatures begin to fall this winter, there are real concerns for the welfare of those living rough on the streets of Kent.

Charities across the county are doing all they can to help people in need but, with funds drying up and more Covid-19 restrictions in place, some say they may not be able to provide their usual services.

In the coming days, homeless people face challenges with potentially freezing temperatures and also the prospect of being alone at Christmas.

According to Kent's largest homeless charity, Porchlight, more than 9,300 households in Kent are at risk of homelessness.

Safety nets introduced during previous lockdowns that helped them keep a roof over their heads – such as being put in emergency accommodation, furlough and increased Universal Credit payments – have now been taken away.

Porchlight is currently supporting 100 people who are homeless across the county – 75 have now been moved into B&Bs.

For the 25 who are still sleeping rough, Porchlight is working to get them out of the cold as soon as possible.

There are big concerns that some may remain on the streets for Christmas, especially with communal facilities remaining closed with rising cases of Covid-19 in the community.

Alarming new figures from homeless charity Shelter revealed that one in every 172 people in Dartford is homeless, making it the worst area in Kent.

The Dartford Churches Winter Shelter project has been forced to close due to restrictions on shared sleeping spaces during the pandemic.

The people who ran the project say they were unable to come up with a financially viable alternative.

The Gravesham Sanctuary faces similar difficulties. Some of its clients in Gravesend have been housed in independent hotels but bosses fear the money will dry up if the situation continues.

Stephen Nolan from the Gravesham Sanctuary said: "Within the hall, we used to sleep about 12 to 15 people on either air beds or cot beds with a sleeping bag.

"During that time people would come in during the evening, have a meal and work with volunteers to build really good community relationships.

"Obviously, back on March 23, 2020, Covid-19 shut us down. It obviously affected everybody across the world but it completely shut us down so we couldn't run the Sanctuary at all.

"Now, while communal sleeping is not made impossible – they're not saying we can't do it – it still isn't advised as everyone would be breathing the same air."

As an alternative, the Sanctuary has been working closely with Gravesham Borough Council to find alternative facilities but has also been paying out of its budget so clients can stay in B&Bs.

Mr Nolan added: "Unfortunately for us, we are on a limit for how many people we can actually help, and we anticipate the numbers are going to get worse.

"You can imagine the sheer cost of having to put them up in a hotel 24 hours a day, seven days a week – it's absolutely astronomical.

"Our funds, although reasonable, they're getting eaten away by those costs.

"Although we do the best that we can with the funding that we have, if and when we run out of money, that is going to be a massive problem."

The Sanctuary's day centre in Longferry Court is still open, for limited hours, most days of the week, so that those on the streets can keep warm and make a cup of tea.

Volunteers haven't yet returned to the day centre, although they hope to begin the rota again in the new year if the pandemic eases.

However, paid staff and mental health practitioners such as Ranya Al-schamaia are still on hand to offer support during the festive period.

Mr Nolan continued: "We've had on average 156 people come here during the daytime since July, which is quite a big number now that I think about it.

"They come in just for tea, coffee, whatever they need."

There is hope for the future. The charity has received an offer of an interest-free loan to rent its own property in the area to expand its services and, if all goes to plan, it hopes to open this next year.

If temperatures plummet across the county – it's likely to dip below freezing in the early hours of tomorrow – local authorities step in to offer accommodation to anyone registered with their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) scheme.

But SWEP is usually declared only if the temperature is expected to be below freezing for three consecutive nights.

And the accommodation provided under SWEP can be miles away from people's friends and family.

Meanwhile, those that work for charities are desperate to ensure they help as many of the county's most vulnerable as possible, particularly over Christmas.

A spokesperson for Porchlight said: "Porchlight expects to be busy this Christmas.

"Our staff will be bringing hope and help to people in Kent who are forced to sleep rough, or face losing their homes.

"We're making sure they're getting food, phone credit, emotional support and access to health appointments.

"To make sure they don't feel forgotten, we're helping as many of these people as we can to access free Christmas meals from the many community organisations we work with."

They continued: "Of course, we’ll be making sure those who are safely inside Porchlight's own properties have a good Christmas away from the streets.

"This includes running in-person and online festive activities so people feel included and valued.

"We’re also teaming up with local suppliers and businesses who are kindly donating food and gifts to our clients, and staff are hoping to hold Christmas dinners in our hostels – if Covid precautions allow it."