Over 50 North East People A Day Put At Risk Of Losing Their Home
A housing charity is calling on the government to provide temporary protection and more affordable homes to help North East families facing homelessness.
More than 50 people are at risk of losing their home every day in the North East.
New figures released by the Ministry of Justice found that one in every 121 families in the North East are at risk of losing their home. This means 58 people in the region are being put at risk of eviction of repossession every day.
The worst areas were South Tyneside with as many as 1 in 72 homes at risk of eviction or possession, followed by Newcastle Upon Tyne (1 in 95) and Hartlepool (1 in 104).
Housing charity Shelter is warning that high housing costs are leaving more families on a financial knife-edge with little or no savings to fall back on.
Tom McCarthy, from Shelter, thinks the government should do more. He said:
“We need to make sure the government actually steps in and takes the action necessary to make sure the figures aren’t so high next year. That means making sure there’s a decent safety net for those people who do fall on hard times and need temporary protection to make sure that they can get back on their feet.”
“Those that end up in that situation could end up in temporary accommodation in bed and breakfast’s living with strangers potentially and one family sharing one room. These aren’t the circumstances we think families should be living in.”
For free and independent advice from Shelter visit shelter.org.uk or call the helpline on 0808 800 4444