Three former rough sleepers died in homeless accommodation in the space of a single month, KentOnline can reveal.

The deaths took place at two of Porchlight’s Canterbury supported-living sites over a four-week period between September and October.

The first was of known heroin user Andrew Reader, who died after a growth caused by his intravenous drug use ruptured at Craddock House, off Military Road.

The 49-year-old was found dead inside his room at the facility on September 28, having suffered a haemorrhage in his groin, close to the femoral artery.

The following month, two other men - understood to be Steve Wright and Carl Foxhall - also died at Porchlight accommodation.

None on the deaths are being treated as suspicious.

An inquest into Mr Reader’s death was held in Maidstone earlier this week.

Former Porchlight employee Bryony Gifford recalled how she discovered his body while conducting a welfare check.

“I last spoke to him three days before, at which point all was well,” she told the hearing.

“I knocked on his door and there was no reply. I pushed the door open and found him on the floor.”

Police and paramedics were called to the Craddock Road site just after 7pm, with investigators concluding there had been no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

Just two days before, Mr Reader, who suffered from chronic leg pain, had been taken to the QEQM Hospital with bleeding from the old injection site on his groin.

His GP reported that earlier this year he had attempted to wean himself off methadone - which is used as a legal substitute for heroin - and other illicit substances.

Recording his death as drug-related, area coroner Joanne Andrews said: “He died from a ruptured pseudoaneurysm, which developed as a result of his previous intravenous drug use.

“I would like to say how deeply sorry we were to hear of Mr Reader’s death and want to pass our condolences onto his family and friends.”

There was no evidence as to the cause of the rupture.

Ms Andrews also stressed that Mr Reader’s family have no concerns about the care or treatment provided to him in the run-up to September.

Following the hearing, Porchlight’s director of operations, Chris Coffey, described the death as a “tragedy”, as “he deserved the same life chances as everyone else”.

“Andrew had been trying to overcome some complex, overlapping issues related to poor physical health and substance misuse – issues which can be common among people who have been through the trauma of homelessness,” he added.

“Our staff help people access the healthcare and other support they need and give them the best opportunities to address all of the challenges they are facing.

“But sometimes, sadly, those challenges prove too great.”

The two other deaths occurred in October, with Mr Wright losing his life at Craddock House and Mr Foxhall at another Porchlight facility in Longport.

Mr Coffey continued: “Porchlight will continue to work day in and day out to give people the support they desperately need and prevent more lives being cut short because of homelessness.”

At Craddock House, staff aim to help residents move away from homelessness for good.

Depending on circumstances, those living at the site are given access to mental and physical health support, drug or alcohol recovery, and are helped with tenancies, finances and employment.

The rooms in Longport, located above a post office, are used by Porchlight to accommodate its residents who it deems would benefit from greater levels of independence. Residents are checked in on once a week.