Five areas in Kent are to benefit from a share of £34 million to help get rough sleepers off streets.

The government has today announced the extra funding following the launch of its Rough Sleeping Strategy last month.

The pot is to be split between the country's 83 districts worst affected by homelessness, with Kent receiving £1.88m.

That equates to just over 5% of the total fund.

The funding is to support on-going initiatives in the areas, such as dedicated support teams and securing additional bed spaces.

Medway is set to receive the highest sum in the country of £486,117.

Next is Thanet which has been designated £483,770, followed by Maidstone which will get £369,225, Canterbury receiving £331,784 and Tunbridge Wells which has been assigned £211,000.

It will be allocated for council spending over the next two years and is an extension of the £30m that was provided to councils in June through the government's Rough Sleeping Initiative Fund.

Thanet is among the projects already benefitting from the initial funding.

The £367,000 awarded was to pay for a rough sleeping coordinator, mental health specialist outreach worker and substance misuse worker.

The council now undertakes regular multi-agency case management meeting reviews of rough sleepers with complex needs and provides individual care plans.

Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said: “Our Rough Sleeping Strategy set out the blueprint to end rough sleeping by 2027.

"Now, we are vigorously taking the steps to make that happen.

“The funding through our Rough Sleeping Initiative is already making a real difference in helping support those off the streets into services and accommodation this year.

“But there is still work to do and that’s why we are supporting these areas with further funding to ensure progress continues to be made and vulnerable people are supported into services and accommodation.”

A team is monitoring the progress of the schemes developed from the first £30m.