A former prisoner who ended up on the streets admits he missed his jail cell and feared he would end up dead.

Deal resident Gary Harland had been sentenced to two-and-a-half years behind bars for threats to kill.

By the time he was released last November, he had become so institutionalised that he struggled to adapt to life on the outside and found himself sleeping rough in Dover.

The 49-year-old was struggling with alcohol dependency and mental health issues and says he had “zero hope” at the time.

But Mr Harland now has accommodation of his own back in Deal and is making strides towards rebuilding his life, thanks to the help of a local charity.

“I was living on the streets, it was the middle of winter and I was really not well,” he told KentOnline.

“I thought I would end up in hospital or probably dead. I had zero hope for life.”

But Dover Outreach, which has just received £150,000 government funding for its winter night shelter, gave him temporary refuge.

“This place gave me not just a roof but it gave me hope,” said Mr Harland.

“Society hadn’t given up on me. All I needed was that chance, that little foot up, and Outreach provided it.”

Mr Harland told how he was locked up in his cell for 23 hours a day during Covid lockdowns.

He said: “It was difficult but then jail's meant to be difficult. Even so, it’s hard not to feel institutionalised.

“You're used to just living in a little room. Once I came out into the big wide world and had nowhere to go I missed the cell in a way, it was really weird.

“I was on the street thinking I’d be better off in jail. So I’m so glad I found these people and they found me.”

Mr Harland met Outreach centre manager Carina Jarvie when he was sleeping rough as she had come across him on her patrols as a Dover Street Pastor.

He said: “The Street Pastors also help the homeless and it’s not just me, there are many.

“I didn’t realise there were so many homeless people in Dover until I got here because I had been living in Deal all my life.

“There are people in Dover, Deal and Canterbury that are homeless and require help and it is the charities that pick up the load.”

Mr Harland eventually went to the Dover Outreach Centre in Snargate Street for help and was placed in its night shelter, located elsewhere in the town. He was later allowed to sleep for three months at the charity’s main base.

The charity then helped him find a bedsit in Deal where he could be closer to his family and see his son again.

Mr Harland is a painter and decorator by trade and his next step is to get back into work.

He said: ”My life is progressing, so the next step would be getting a job. But Outreach has been such a help because they give such good advice.”

Mr Harland still visits the centre once a fortnight to see his support worker Elloise Lambley and give updates on his progress.

Continuing support and advice from Outreach is otherwise just a phone call away.

Dover District Council says it has 164 households in its area which it has accepted a statutory duty to assist as homeless.

At last November’s rough sleeper count, there were six verified in the district. There will be another street count this November.

The government’s Department for Levelling Up (DLU) on Friday announced more than £3 million in funding to 26 night shelters across England, including Dover Outreach.

Officials explain these places offer a vital route off the streets and the funding can be used to provide specialist staff, drug or alcohol advice and financial help.

The Dover Outreach Centre, set up in 2016, gained its share for refurbishments to the night shelter and to aid running costs.

The charity says the needs of some clients are complex as many struggle with alcohol and drug dependency following some form of trauma in their lives.