A HOMELESS charity chief fears Southend does not have sufficient accommodation to house the homeless during the winter.

Gary Turner, service operations manager for the Homeless Action Resource Project in Southend, said a lack of housing supply was one of the major factors, though the town was not properly equipped to help the homeless.

It comes as concern grew for people camping on the town’s cliffs and at the bus station in central Southend.

He added: “It is fair to say there is a need for more housing in the town, but I think the real difficult is it is not just aboutahouse or a home .

“What we need is staff to support those people because if you have been on the streets for a fair amount of time, it is a bit of a hard slog to be able to return to a more stable place.

“That does not just come from having a room. We give people advice and feedback on issues that got them there in the first place and that just does not happen overnight."

These issues include resolving drug and alcohol problems.

Mr Turner said he would like his charity to have more accommodation available and is looking to expand its hostels, including one for women.

He added: “I don’t think we have enough at the moment.

In the main, we are doing the best we can with the resources we have available, but there is always a need in the town.

Harp has a number of hostels, including the Bradbury Centre, in York Road, Southend where there are 18 beds for rough sleepers which can be accessed all year round.

As well as this centre, the charity has 111 beds at various hostels.

On a daily basis, the charity helps about 40 people .

Between November and the end of March, the charity will be working with local churches, which will open their doors when the temperature gets particularly cold.

For more information, visit www.harpsouthend.org