A scheme to help prisoners across Kent find somewhere to live after they leave jail has been given a £314,000 cash boost.

Damning statistics reveal 50% of prisoners don't have any accommodation when released, which ends up meaning almost half of all rough sleepers in the county are those with an offending history.

Off the back of this, four Kent councils - Canterbury, Maidstone, Medway and Thanet - spearheaded a bid last year for government funding to try and reduce prisoner homelessness upon release.

The town halls say the funding, awarded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, will be used to employ more staff to work with offenders during their time in custody to develop individual support plans.

The aim will be to secure suitable accommodation and ultimately help reduce re-offending rates and improve the chances of prisoners maintaining their independence.

The Rapid Rehousing Pathway project will be open to people over the age of 18 who have had a custodial sentence or been on remand in a Kent prison for less than 12 months, with an initial focus on those who were homeless when they went to prison or who were previously rough sleeping.

Those accessing the scheme must have a local connection to the Canterbury, Maidstone, Medway or Thanet areas, as defined in national homelessness legislation.

People with no local connection and no accommodation on release, but who are expressing a clear intention to settle in one of the four areas, can access advice and guidance.

Accommodation will be sourced from the private sector and landlords are being encouraged to engage with the project.

Canterbury City Council led the funding bid for all four councils, and head of community services Marie Royle said: “There was a direct correlation between offending behaviour, repeat offending and homelessness.

“Prisoners and ex-offenders are identified as a group of people who can be particularly vulnerable and find accessing suitable accommodation challenging.

"Often, rough sleeping becomes the only avenue open to them and it develops into a downward spiral that is very difficult to escape from.

“Through joint working by all the organisations involved in this very complex issue, we will be offering early intervention to ensure prisoners have somewhere to go when they are released and can access the ongoing support they need.

“The ultimate aim is to reduce the number of rough sleepers and re-offending rates in the four areas, and we’re really pleased to have secured such a significant sum of money from the government to try and achieve that.”

John Littlemore, head of Housing and Community Services at Maidstone Borough Council, added: “We are delighted to be part of this exciting initiative working closely with district colleagues to have a cohesive approach to supporting ex-offenders to rebuild their lives.”

Earlier this year, Kent County Council was locked in a stand-off with the Ministry of Justice over accommodation funding, leading many to fear even more ex-offenders were facing the prospect of life on the streets upon release.