People living with mental health issues fear being kicked out of their supported living accommodation as the charity-funded property is facing council cuts to its finances.

Culverdale is run as part of Crossways Community in Culverden Park Road, Tunbridge Wells and is facing an uncertain future after Kent County Council pulled its funding.

One of the only purpose-built supported accommodations left in Kent, it provides a short-term stepping stone for people leaving hospital and preparing to return to independent living.

It is supported by Christian charity Crossways Community which also provides 24-hour residential care for adults between 18 and 65 with acute mental health issues on the same site.

Offering two self-contained flats, 16 fully furnished single bedsits, and four flats sharing kitchens all with en-suite facilities, it offers a safe space for the short and long term with staffed support during the day and emergency callouts available at night.

One resident, who did not want to be named, praised the charity for saving his life.

He said: “Culverdale helped with balancing money, getting to doctor’s appointments and offered me so much support.

“It definitely saved my life.”

Founded in 1969, the charity had been supported by KCC through Live Well Kent but had its funding pulled in April as the cash-strapped council battled to claw back thousands of pounds.

‘No one is going to end up on the streets’

Residents were assured the charity would make it work and find another way to secure the money.

But this week KentOnline was told residents and staff had heard rumours the building is to close next month and the site turned into a 24-hour care home.

One resident said: “Some people have lived there for seven years and may not be ready to live independently yet.

“It’s horrific.”

Head of finance at Crossways Rob Holmes denied it was going to be leaving its residents homeless.

‘They definitely saved my life’

He said: “When the council withdrew the money it put us in an interesting position as it provided a significant portion of the funding we received for the residents at Culverdale.

“We have been looking at how to continue supporting people with mental health issues from this building.”

He said the charity had made the decision to “move across into 24/7 care ensuring we will be helping more people than we are helping at the moment”.

And he assured residents they are not being “kicked out or abandoned”.

“We have committed to caring for them for the next two years,” he said.

“As an organisation we will be supporting them and working with them to see what they would like to happen in the future.”

This could see residents moving to other properties owned by the charity around Tunbridge Wells but he stressed “nothing will be happening to anyone in the short term”.

He added: “No one is going to end up on the streets. That would be completely against our principles.

“We care deeply about our residents.

“Many of them come from difficult backgrounds and there is no way they are being let down by us and risk slipping back into unhealthier lifestyles.”

He confirmed the charity would need to make changes in the future, but has no plans to close.

“A lot of supported living places have shut down but we have committed to our residents that we are not shutting down and we will be looking at how we can create a model going forward.”

He stressed they were working hard to make sure staff and residents were not adversely affected by any future changes.

A spokesman for KCC said: “It’s been well documented that KCC needs to make £84m savings this year, and make some difficult decisions, to keep statutory services sustainable in the future.

“The council agreed the KCC budget in February 2023 which included a reduction in spend by up to 40% on community-based prevention services including some provided by Live Well Kent & Medway (LWKM).

“Following this, KCC worked with LWKM and other strategic partners to develop a new preventative service that aims to benefit more vulnerable people across Kent whilst achieving the savings required.”

The charity was visited by Sophie, the Countess of Wessex in 2017, who chatted to residents and unveiled a commemorative plaque in the gardens.